The Source of the Dark
by StarLion
Summary: Sequel to Master of the Dark. A plot against King Mickey, a search for the source of the Dark Arcology's power, and two searches for Sora - who remains in power in the Arcology itself, unbeknowest to all outside. What can come of all this?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Finally, after ages sat around as an idea being constantly re-written, I've started to get this old idea into order.  
It follows on from my story Master of the Dark. I hate doing sequels that you have to read the previous stories to understand, but in this case you'll definitely find it a lot easier to understand if you do read Master of the Dark first.  
Several of the characters that didn't seem to have much point to them in the previous story make that point known - eventually - in this one, some things get explained, and some new parts of the Dark Arcology are seen.  
(If you don't know or can't remember what an Arcology is, grab the first chapter of Master of the Dark and read the notes I left in it. I explain it there.)

Anything else... oh right. You know what? I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Might wish I did sometimes, but I'm afraid I don't.  
So, with that - Onward ho, and let's see where this story takes us.

_

* * *

The Dark Arcology  
Grandmaster's Office – Floor 197_

Jamie entered with a gift of silence that no one else seemed to be able to match, taking in the room as he approached the desk.  
Along one side were bookcases, filled from floor to ceiling with books, along with a door to other rooms in these quarters. In one of the supporting beams was the hilt of a sword, a small part of blade sticking out. It was Masamune, and the only remaining evidence of this room's previous occupant. No one had asked where the other end of the blade had finished up.  
The other side of the room was slightly more personalised. The walls were a two-tone of dark blue on top and red on the bottom, a thin band of gold separating them. Hung on them were pictures of the occupant, some with people Jamie knew, others he'd only heard of. In a few it seemed almost like there was a twin.  
On a table, with various paraphernalia arranged around it, was the signature keyblade. It seemed occasionally to shift through various alternate forms, but always returned to the standard keyblade.  
Then ahead, just in front of the darkened windows, was the high-backed swivel chair, currently facing the window, and the plain desk, paperwork scattered over it somewhat haphazardly.  
He waited patiently, not wanting to disturb.  
After a few moments, the chair turned back again, and it's occupant began to tend to the paperwork for a moment, before glancing up at him. A few moments passed before he acknowledged his guest.  
"Jamie," he murmured.  
"You sent for me?"  
"Who are you working for at the moment?"  
"Right now? Sand."  
"Anything important?"  
"Nothing that can't wait."  
"Good. The Council expressed an interest in something recently, and it's something I'm curious about myself. Your record of successful investigations speaks for itself, so naturally I want you to handle it."  
"What's the case?"  
"You know the Arcology and it's residents all take from the same unnamed, unknown power?"  
"Who here doesn't?"  
"Find it's source, Jamie. We want to know what supplies it, what the absolute limits of it are, and more importantly if it's going to run out."  
"You're telling me no one's ever investigated this before?"  
"Apparently not, more than reason enough to have it seen to already."  
Jamie considered this, then asked, "If I need anyone?"  
"You know the procedures, for those inside and out of the Arcology."  
"Anyone not within my authority, I mean."  
"Talk to Sand. He's your First, he'll know what to do. Anything else?"  
"I'll let you know if anything else comes up."  
"Go to work then."  
"At once, Grandmaster," he replied with a respectful nod.  
"I wish people would call me Sora again," The Grandmaster complained as Jamie left.

_Disney Castle  
The Throne Room_

"Your Majesty."  
"It's been a long time since you showed up."  
"I know. I don't mean to show up unannounced, but it's a matter of some urgency."  
"Oh?"  
"Sora is missing, Roxas is back and also missing and Donald and Goofy have no way of getting to him. Kairi's worried too. Some months ago, Sora promised her he'd stop by from where he claimed to be, but hasn't. It's been nearly a year since then."  
"Where did he claim to be?"  
"The Dark Arcology – but I know that place to lay in ruins. I've been to them myself."  
"Go to Kairi. She knows both of you well."  
"What do you want me to do?"  
"I leave that in your hands. Don't worry about Donald or Goofy. I'll look into things and tell them what I want them to do."  
"Wouldn't it be better for them to stick with Kairi too?"  
"No. You're more than capable of handling things, my friend. Split into two groups, no matter what you two decide to do, we stand a greater chance of solving this."  
"Kairi isn't going to like that."  
"That's why I want you to be there for her. She'll need someone."  
"I'll see to it, your Majesty."  
"Didn't I tell you to call me Mickey?"  
"I guess it's been so long, I forgot."

_Twlight Town_

Kairi was pouting. Anyone who'd kept up with what was going on knew why this was.  
Almost a year ago, Sora had been taken into some mystery-shrouded place called the Dark Arcology, risen up in it's ranks, and called on some of it's residents to break an attack of Heartless on the town. He'd promised to visit her when his work there allowed, but no one had seen any sign, nor received any word from him.  
To make things worse of late, Donald and Goofy had received a message from King Mickey that they had steadfastly refused to discuss or let her help with, then slipped out in the night so she couldn't try and join them.  
Because of this, nothing seemed to be able to bring her out of it at all. She found fault with everyone or everything. The town wasn't as interesting as it used to be. No one was as good as they normally were. She even criticised food that normally she would have been perfectly fine with.  
All because Sora hadn't shown up.  
Now she was sulking, and trying to decide what to do.  
She could go after Donald and Goofy, but no one had seen them on the way out, leaving her with no trail to follow.  
She could go looking for Sora herself, and brave what risks came her way. She'd fought for him before without his aid, but that had been with Donald and Goofy beside her. Alone was a different prospect entirely.  
There was a hesitant knock at the door to her room.  
"What?" she snapped irritably.  
"There's someone who wants to see you," a voice called back. "He says he knows you."  
Could it be Sora? Could he finally have found time at last?  
"Tell him to come here quick," she told the door, getting ready to launch into a rant at Sora. She'd had plenty of time to work on it.  
"Mind if I join you?" a more familiar voice asked her from beside the window. Sitting in the chair beside it, looking for all the world like he'd been there all along, was Riku. "You did say you wanted me to come in quickly. You look a little out of sorts."  
"I was expecting someone else."  
"I know – Sora."  
"He was meant to have shown up by now. I'm almost ready to go looking for him myself."  
"You don't look like it to me. Your things aren't even tidied away."  
"Well... not that kind of ready. I was thinking about it."  
"Only thinking?"  
"I don't know what to do, Riku. He's gone off without me again, and just last night Donald and Goofy sneaked out as well."  
"So what's keeping you here?"  
"You know yourself how easy it is for me to get caught up in the wrong kind of things. You did it yourself, remember?"  
He looked faintly embarrassed and answered, "Sorry Kairi, but I had to do what I did. It's all behind me now. Honest."  
"Really?"  
"Actually, that's sort of why I'm here. Not to do that again, I mean. I thought I'd try it Sora's way instead. Saving people and all that. It's not really what I do best, but I can at least try, right?"  
"Oh, Riku. You'd do that for me?"  
"Of course I would. Sora and I might not get along, but it's not as fun when he's not around to annoy."  
"Riku!"  
"I'm just teasing. You're the one running this search for Sora, you know. I'm just around to do what you can't."  
"That's not helping much."  
"Maybe not, but I know where we can start. Somewhere called the Dark Arcology, wasn't it?"  
"How do you know about it?"  
"I've met it," he answered shortly, contempt briefly flicking over his face. "I didn't want anything to do with it. Some kinds of darkness are better left alone."  
"So you know where it will be?"  
"No, but I know where it used to be."  
"What good is that?"  
"We won't know until we get there, will we? It gives you somewhere to start though."  
"What would I do without you?"  
"Stay in here and pout some more? You look cute when you do that."  
Kairi went flush, but pretended not to hear.

_The Dark Arcology  
Grandmaster's Quarters – Floor 199_

Sora didn't like the extravagance and opulence of the Grandmaster's Quarters, but they were his now. He'd taken on Sephiroth yet again, this time as the previous Grandmaster of the Dark Arcology. Unlike the last times, he'd had no choice but to kill him, something that still bothered him. It wasn't in his nature to do something that extreme, but the alternative was to leave him in power – something he couldn't have tolerated, given everything he'd done.  
Many of the Arcology's long-time residents had objected at the changes he'd brought round, throwing out some of the more unpleasant practices some held in place, and changing those he couldn't remove so they were at least better than they had been. The Council effected most of the changes with the same ruthless, unyielding commands that he issued, though he preferred not to have to do that personally.  
For the more serious matters, if he couldn't handle it himself he sent one of the two Advisors – the two highest ranked individuals in the entire Arcology before him – to handle it. One was an ex-Council member, Sab, who took the more distant approach, manipulating things without getting directly involved unless she had to. The other was his own Nobody, Roxas. Unlike himself and Sab, Roxas didn't let anything stop him from getting things done.  
The result had been a sharp turn back toward the original principles on which the Arcology had been founded. It was no longer as Dark as it used to be, and in some corners the name had fallen into disuse in favour of 'Sora's Arcology'. The original aim was more actively pursued now, searching out, tracking down and retrieval of any item that held unusual powers, no matter how strange or unusual. The Arcology had an entire floor dedicated to these objects, named the Reliquary. He'd once glanced into the catalogue of all objects inside, and found that there were artefacts of all kinds, shapes and sizes to do almost any task. The last best estimate of how many were there numbered in the millions, and there was a separate catalogue twice as thick of relics and artefacts as yet undiscovered but known about.  
The Dark power at the core of the Arcology remained though, it's source unknown, it's link to the Arcology and it's residents even more unknown. No one could understand why no previous attempt to study it had been made, though Sora privately suspected that any Grandmaster before him who had used it to his own ends just wasn't interested – as long as it still worked for him.  
For now, he lounged in one of his favoured rooms, made to resemble the Destiny Islands he'd left behind so long ago. It took up a fair portion of the floor, but that didn't matter to him. It was better than leaving it dedicated to some of Sephiroth's... perversions.  
"Reliving the past again?" Roxas' voice, so similar to his own, asked.  
"Taking a load off," he answered, not getting up. "Did you talk to Nighthawk?"  
"Talk," he snorted. "She wouldn't listen to me unless I ordered her to. She told me to butt out of her business. What she does as a First is her concern alone, she said."  
"You didn't leave it at that, did you?"  
"Of course not. I handed her position to one of Axel's rogues instead, sent her down a few ranks, then put her to work on the Visitor's Entrance."  
"The Visitor's Entrance? Seriously? Roxas, we don't get any visitors here."  
"You're telling me. But it keeps her out of trouble."  
"So that's where you've been sending the troublemakers, huh?"  
"Why not? At least it means if we ever do get a visitor, the place will be staffed."  
"I guess so. I was thinking of getting rid of it myself. Trying to cut back on wasting resources."  
"Do that too much and you'll have too many people without things to do. There's something else Axel mentioned though."  
"What?"  
"One of his people is on the trail of a group of our people that left the Arcology and went rogue. They managed to haul in one of them, and uncovered a little plot." He handed Sora a bit of paper. "Here's what we uncovered."  
"Paperwork? Roxas, I'm trying to get away from it in here," he protested, but took it anyway. His expression grew steadily more serious as he read. Finally, in a quiet tone he said, "You know what this says, don't you?"  
"Naturally."  
"Go to Mickey. Do whatever you have to do, but don't let this happen to him."  
"You know he won't know who I am."  
"You're a Nobody, which exempts you from the normal rules remember? You get to choose if they apply to you or not."  
"That's not what I was talking about. He's never met me."  
"Well explain it to him then. Like I said, do whatever you have to do. The last thing anyone needs is him out of action."  
"An order, Sora? From you?"  
"Get to it, Roxas, or I'll do more than just order you to do it. This is important."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **As if there weren't enough plots to go around in the last chapter, there's more here. All of them are significant in their way, with the exception of Donald and Goofy's one. They'll show up later on.

_

* * *

The Dark Arcology  
Science department 4 – Floor 82  
Lab 12_

"Curious creatures, these Heartless. In a way, not unlike yourself, Axel."  
"Heartless and Nobodies are the same, except we keep our minds. They don't. But that's not what I asked you to find out."  
"I haven't tracked down the mutations yet. There are still too many variables."  
"Such as?"  
"The Arcology itself may be having an effect on them, the presence of the Grandmaster and his Nobody, the presence of other Nobodies-"  
"There aren't any other Nobodies. Just me, Rox and Jamie."  
"I fear you may be wrong, Axel. I've determined there are more than three links to at least five of the specimens."  
"Can you do anything about it?"  
"Not personally. It would require another Nobody. As I understand it, you are the only Nobody without any major business."  
"I'll look into it then. Get a team together and make yourself an away lab somewhere to study these Heartless."  
The scientist coughed delicately, "Ah... I'm going to need a few more of them, in case the Arcology is the cause."  
"There's always plenty around," Axel shrugged. "I'll track some down for you. Sort the lab first."  
"Yes sir."  
Axel stared into the tank that contained one of the 'specimens'. The Heartless had begun to turn up in strange new forms lately, and some older ones but with unusual mutations. Having been a part of Organization XIII, he knew at least something of them, but they were hardly his speciality. Zexion would be the one to ask, but like the rest of the Organization, he was no more. Roxas had left the Organization, and he... well, something had intervened, that much was certain – otherwise why was he still here?  
Axel had no idea who or what exactly was behind that though, or what the motive was, and this mystery had bothered him since he'd turned up here in the Arcology among the rogues.  
It had been a simple task to bring some order to them and start making them useful to the Firsts of the Arcology – for a price. The rogues were residents, but shared none of the power or the authority linked to it. They lived on disused, damaged, burnt out and other similar floors of the Arcology, hid out and generally didn't bother the real residents unless they strayed onto rogue territory.  
Roxas had hired out Axel and his band of them originally to protect Sora from an insurrection against him, instigated by Sephiroth. When Sora went missing, Axel continued to support Roxas while his friend took Sora's position as a First until they found Roxas' other again. Even then, Sephiroth had muddied the waters by creating a clone of Sora and attempting to supplant the real one with him, using a dangerous drug to make the real Sora believe he was someone completely different.  
Once Sora was given the antidote and restored to his normal self, he had been livid of course. He couldn't take back his position from Roxas without first confronting Sephiroth, and in doing that they all discovered a nasty streak in him that wouldn't let the one-winged angel walk free.  
Now Sora had made Roxas an Advisor, and in turn left Axel in charge of what had once been Sora's people and part of the Arcology. He didn't like this any more than Roxas had done, but took it anyway. It was better than being lower in rank.  
"Keep me informed," he told the scientist, then left the lab. Whatever was mutating the Heartless was the immediate concern.

_Unknown_

"A Heart of any kind has a beat.  
A Heart of any kind has a pulse.  
Some pulses are slow.  
Some pulses are quick.  
It all depends on the size of the Heart.  
It all depends on the where it all goes.  
Where what goes?  
No one knows."_  
Thump. Thump._  
"It beats again. Away it goes.  
Right through them all.  
Right back again.  
A slow one this is.  
A large one this is.  
A long time until it next beats.  
A long time to... experiment."

_Site of the Old Arcology_

Long ago, the Arcology now called the Dark Arcology hadn't moved about at will. It had been a fixed structure, towering over anything nearby.  
Something in it's past had changed that however, tearing it from the ground and sending it into the half existance it now lead, only partially existing in the real world, and only ever fully existing for brief moments at a time.  
The site where it had once stood was littered with ruins of crumbling stones, in the middle of a great basin around it. If the edges of the ruins were anything to go by, this tower was immense in all directions, not just upward.  
A vague idea of the ground floor's layout could be guessed. In the centre was a large central chamber, with no obvious access routes from here. The remains of a staircase led to the upper floors, wrapped around that central column. Around it were a series of smaller rooms, each adjoined to one other, and one of those two always had a corridor that lead to the edge. Many of them led to an earthy patch with a tree growing in it. One larger, triangular room took up a part of the southern edge of the ruins, it's purpose also unclear. The floors of all these areas had the remains of tiles over them. In some places the tiled floors remained almost completely intact, some even showing parts of a design on them.  
Though the ruins were clearly ancient, not a single bit of moss or plant life had touched them in the slightest. Weather had damaged them certainly, but it was not as much as it should have been.  
Whatever had ripped the Arcology from the foundations had left it's mark on the landscape around far more clearly, however. The hills around were littered with immense cracks and fissures that seemed to have no end to them, looking like spiders had spun webs of them all over. In some places, it was possible to cross them safely, but in others the gap was simply too great. It made reaching the ruins difficult.  
Kairi and Riku stood on top of one of the hills trying to plan a route to reach them all the same.  
"What about that crack there? If we cross that one, we can get to one of those smaller bits."  
"And do what? That rubble is too high to climb over. All we'd get is a closer look at it."  
"But that's what we want, Riku."  
"I think you ought to try figuring out how to reach that larger area first."  
"What for? It's just rubble."  
"So's the rest of it though, but at least that gives us a larger area to have a look at, without having to do all the climbing over the ruins. You're not really dressed for that, either."  
"I've never been exploring ruins before."  
"It shows. Not that I'd mind," he teased with a sly smirk.  
"You're terrible," she accused back.

_The World That Never Was  
Remains of Dark City_

He lay for a few moments, trying to reach a decision. Then finally: "Alive? I'm... alive? Fascinating."  
"Oh alive you most certainly are, yes." He knew the voice.  
"You again."  
"Is that any way to greet a friends, Zexion? After all... I am responsible for your return to life."  
"How... curious," he managed to force out. "I suppose you think I'll owe you something for it."  
"It is expected, you know."  
"What are you up to, Vexen?"  
"Kingdom Hearts, Zexion – the Organization's goal, remember? At least one of us is still working toward it."  
"Our Kingdom Hearts was destroyed, and without a keyblade master you've no way to go about raising another."  
"Oh, I don't need one. Sora is still unaware that every Heartless he destroys still lends itself to our cause. Now my cause."  
"Fascinating," Zexion repeated, finally sitting up. He was somewhere in Dark City, or what was left of it. Beside him lay one of his lexicons.  
"I took the trouble to retrieve it for you," Vexen, crouched nearby, told him as he reached for it.  
"Don't think this gives me reason to like you."  
"Never dream of it. Now, how about helping me in return?"  
"What do you have in mind?"  
"Find your way to my new base of operations, and I'll tell you. Just look within a little place called the Dark Arcology."  
Seemingly detached still, he observed Vexen call on a dark corridor and leave.  
He gave himself a look over, noting he looked exactly as he always had within the Organization, then stood up, brushed himself off and thought for a few more moments, staring upwards.  
Their castle here was little more than a few stray chunks barely hanging together now. Most of it lay in parts of the city.  
The normal supply of Nobodies and Heartless that used to infest the area were long gone. Presumably some survival instinct had made them flee, or maybe they too had been destroyed.  
Apparently reaching a conclusion, he glance briefly into the Lexicon, then followed Vexen.

_The Dark Arcology  
Ground Floor – Visitor's Entrance_

Merle did not like the Visitors shift. There had never been a recorded case of anyone visiting the Dark Arcology in it's known history. There wasn't even any way someone could reach it.  
But agreeing to take it had been the first step out of being a first rank, and back into the normal ranks.  
Once, over a year ago, she'd been a First – one of the often feared individuals that held sway over the Arcology's inhabitants. She owned a part of the Arcology and anyone that worked for or was assigned to her. It wasn't slavery, just a claim of ownership over them. They belonged to her.  
Then one of the rogues that hid out in the Arcology persuaded her to bring the Keyblade Master Sora into the Arcology. No one had wanted to bring him in before because he was deemed unpredictable, but she'd taken it on herself to prove them wrong, and succeeded.  
Her distaste for the rules set by the Upper Management, the more powerful few who were ranked even higher than Firsts, caught up with her then. She was reduced down to only a second rank, the rank she now had once more. Her own Second took her place, and Sora become his Second.  
She'd tried to steal an artefact to try and use to gain her place back – breaking more rules in the process – but Sora got in the way again, who moved her back down to a lowly first rank, the lowest of them all.  
Not long after that, he became a First and went missing. She didn't find out anything about this until more recently. News is hard to come by as a first rank, having to constantly answer to everyone and do whatever they told her to do.  
One of the Advisors had finally relented just a few weeks ago, and given her back the second rank, on the provision that she take this job.  
It involved sitting at a single desk, waiting for a visitor to come into the Arcology, and handling the situation whenever it came up.  
Which was likely to be never.  
The room was darkened except around her. The room would light up only around a member of the Arcology normally, unless there were guests – then the entire room lit up, showing a mostly empty room, and a few rows of benches for anyone waiting.  
Hardly worth note, but someone had to do it, it seemed.  
She was just dozing off into a half-sleep when the room lit up of it's own accord, rousing her again.  
There was no one there at all, just what was expected, and a kind of purple-black cloud... thing.  
A figure emerged from it, the thing vanishing behind him. He wore black, robe, boots, gloves, everything. Silver-blue hair covered most of his face, and he carried in one hand a black book.  
He strode confidently toward her, not pausing to wait until she called for him.  
"This is the Dark Arcology, no?" he asked quietly.  
"Uh, yes. I'll need your name and the reason you're visiting before I can let you in. And you'll have to wait for the Registry to authorise it too."  
"I'm... looking for someone. I don't wish to involve anyone else in my search."  
"And your name?"  
"Zexion."  
She dutifully took down the details on a form, filling out additional ones as necessary, put the form into a capsule and then put the capsule into a tube on the desk that would take it up to the Registry.  
"Take a seat. The Registry should get back to us shortly."  
"How shortly?"  
"I don't know," she admitted. "You're the first visitor to use this entrance. As far as I knew, no one could use it, so they might not believe what I've sent them."  
"What then?"  
"They're probably investigate to make sure. Just be patient, I'm sure it won't be long."


	3. Chapter 3

_Site of the Old Arcology_

"Riku, look."  
"What is it?"  
"Back where we were standing. It looks different from here."  
He glanced back and saw she was right. The damaged ruins seemed somehow less damaged than before, the previously tall grass was definitely shorter, and the Mysterious Tower in Twilight Town had also receded towards the ground – in fact, it looked more like it was still under construction.  
"I _thought _I felt something different."  
"That tree's smaller too."  
"Tree?"  
"The one in the middle of the ruins?"  
It was barely more than a sapling now.  
"Is time going backwards, or are we going back through it?" Riku mused.  
"Aren't they the same thing?"  
"It's possible. Lets get on with this before anything strange happens." He paused, then added, "Stranger, that is."  
They continued to make their way over the cracks and crevices together. As they went, the Mysterious Tower seemed to continue to shrink until it was no longer visible above the surrounding hills. The tree was gone by the time they made it to the triangular area, and in it's place were some steps leading underground.  
This area had a patterned floor mostly still intact, and even more intact now they had reached it. While Kairi examined it, trying to understand it, Riku tried to get a better look down the steps.  
They seemed to lead down into the darkness for a ways, then turn sharply to one side. He tried to get closer, climbing over some of the rubble, but something unseen pushed back, slowing his progress until he could go no further.  
Then there was an otherworldly shriek from the stairs that threw him off the pile of ruins and rubble back down again. The shriek seemed to retreat, going backwards again as he got further away. Kairi seemed completely oblivious to it.  
She beckoned him over as he got back to his feet.  
"I think I've figured it out," she told him. "It's not a pattern at all. They're arrows, like directions, and they all lead to that big chunk of ruin at the inside point of the triangle. They all lead from the same place too."  
"The outside of the ruins?"  
"Just a bit further down from where we got in."  
"You're going to look, aren't you?" he asked in a resigned tone.  
"You're the one who suggested coming here," she reminded him primly, already heading for the edge. Riku was starting to wonder if Mickey had really had the right idea with this.  
He shook his head with a silent exasperated sigh, then followed after her.  
The arrows on the floor lead from a large gap in the edge of the ruins, and pointed them along one of several routes. Kairi looked after them before deciding they all led the same way, and picked one at random.  
The sky seemed to darken as they followed the path, until at last when they stopped in the exact centre of the triangle area, everything darkened.  
There followed a few tense moments, then it cleared again. They were in a brightly lit room, also triangular, and stood in the same spot as they had been in the ruins.  
On either side of them were benches arranged in rows, and directly ahead was a woman sat at a desk, talking to someone in a dark robe.  
Riku recognised it. It was the kind worn by Organization XIII. Whoever it was had the hood up and was talking too quietly to hear. The woman murmured something in response, then the stranger took a seat, watching Kairi and Riku. Or at least their head was pointed in their direction.  
"Kairi, be careful," Riku muttered to her. "I don't think we're at the ruins any more."  
"Well, duh," she rolled her eyes. "Anyone can see that. I think this is where we want to be."  
Before he could ask why, she headed to the desk with him in tow.  
The woman seemed quite surprised to see them, but made no hint of it as she spoke.  
"Welcome to the Visitor's Entrance of the Dark Arcology. Are you both together?"  
"No," Riku answered.  
"Yes," Kairi overruled him. "We are. Ignore him."  
"Kairi!"  
"You said you'd come along and help, didn't you?"  
"Well, yes, but-"  
"That's and end to it then."  
The woman's expression grew faintly amused. "I'll need your names then, and the reason for your visit."  
"I'm Kairi. He's Riku. We're looking for Sora."  
"Sora? Not Grandmaster Sora, surely?"  
"Grandmaster? He said he was a First when I saw him."  
"You know about the Arcology? And you're not a member?"  
"Isn't that obvious? We want to see him."  
"I'm afraid I can't arrange for that myself. I can get you a visitor's pass, then all you'll need to do is make your way to the main office of the Registry on the 14th floor. They'll be able to help you from there."  
"Well, we want visitors passes then."  
She nodded, returning to the form she'd been filling in details from and adding some more. It was put into a capsule, then into a tube on the desk.  
"The Registry will get back to you with the passes shortly. Or at least I hope so, anyway. I included a note letting them know you'll probably be calling by. Otherwise, please take a seat and wait."  
Riku didn't follow Kairi. Instead, he turned back and asked, "I don't suppose you'll tell me who the guy in the robe is?"  
"He asked not to be identified to others. It's not my place to ignore another's wishes. Please don't disturb him."  
"You can't even tell me what he's here for?"  
"Unless he says otherwise... no."  
"Thanks anyway."  
Kairi looked at him curiously as he took his own seat, making sure he could see the stranger.  
"What was that about?" she asked.  
"Him."  
"What about him?"  
"I wanted to know who he is. She isn't going to tell me, and I get the idea he doesn't want company."  
"That's never stopped you before."  
"I'm meant to be helping you, not chasing up idle curiosities along the way."  
"We've got some time to wait, Riku. She implied we could be waiting a while."  
"I'll leave it. For now, anyway."

_The Dark Arcology  
Records Office – Floor 32_

Jamie had so far had no luck finding any way to trace the source of their power, and so was turning to the records of people the Arcology considered worth note for ideas.  
These records didn't just include people inside the Arcology, they actually contained more information on those outside than in. Sora himself had an entire chapter to himself, as did Roxas. They'd provided some interesting insights into their characters, but no ideas.  
As the current records held no one who seemed helpful, he'd started going back into the more historical ones, and was now on the trail of a single individual who'd received mention in a piece on someone called Adam the Heartless.  
He was called Alex, and was related to Adam only because Adam had attempted to burn down the forest isle Alex lived on because he'd refused to help. The help in question was that of an interesting ability, where he could tell the entire history of something simply by coming into contact with it.  
There was no article on Alex himself, which seemed unusual – surely the Arcology would have had some use for his talent? This left no indication of where his isle was, and as Adam's article lacked any kind of dating, it was impossible to tell if this was recent or ancient history.  
The article had given him enough information to find the general area where Adam had been, and the route taken to reach Alex's isle. All he had to do was use the maps of the Records Office to find exactly where that was in terms of the real worlds the Arcology had access to, locate the isle, and pay Alex a visit.  
If he still existed, that was.

_Recreational Area – Floor 20 - Owner: Axel_

Grandmasters past were more often known for hiding in the upper four floors where the Upper Management – everyone above the Firsts – worked. In the case of the Grandmaster, it was where they lived as well.  
Sora was not one for hiding away. While there were undoubtedly some interesting things going on up there, the experiments Sephiroth had left behind included, he just couldn't sit there and put up with the paperwork all the time, or try to think up grand plans to take advantage of the power and resources of the Arcology. It just wasn't in his nature.  
Under previous Grandmasters, the Upper Management had gradually faded out of the view of those below, until it was generally agreed that the Firsts ran everything. People only found out about those above if it became necessary, or when they became a part of it.  
Sora had changed that. True, it has caused a few problems now that the legal system – still somewhat rudimentary, and still for now based on whatever rules his whims decided – was in full view of everyone. The Overseers, the first rank of the Upper Management, had protested vehemently at this, claiming they needed the veil they operated behind to work efficiently.  
There was an Overseer on every floor, and they were meant to report incidents on that floor. Incidents like thefts, transgressions of the rules, people considered interesting or dangerous enough to keep watched, and other similar things.  
Most of them had grown somewhat corrupt behind their veil though, using it as an excuse to manipulate things into doing whatever they wanted, giving them things they shouldn't have, and generally abusing the power they had been trusted with.  
There had been a lot of reassignments after this all came to light.  
That was some time ago now. Things were running a little smoother now, though the occasional hiccough crept in once in a while. One of those hiccoughs had cropped up now, and Sora being the more hands-on kind, he'd jumped at the chance to drop down and see what the fuss was about. Delegation wasn't in his vocabulary – unless it meant leaving the administrative details to the Advisors and the Council.  
This floor was like a second home to him within the Arcology. It was on this floor he'd taken his first steps as a member of the Arcology almost a year ago now, his joining them a decision that had caused Roxas to emerge again. It had been this floor that he had owned himself for a time when he replaced Merle as First.  
More importantly though, it held Danny's Café, one of the best ones in the entire Arcology.  
Danny had been Merle's Second when they'd first met, and now served the floor's new owner in the same capacity. He'd never wanted to be a Second, but took it in his stride and ran the place at the same time.  
It had been expanded a bit from the small place Sora remembered, but it was the same warm, friendly atmosphere that he always enjoyed. The regulars knew him, some even nodded respectfully to him, but there was otherwise no sign shown that he was anyone special. He could forget about the position, the power and the responsibilities while he was here – at least until something got in the way.  
This was on business though, so he couldn't stop to relax this time.  
Danny was working behind the counter with Dog, now a third rank. Dog had been a lowly first rank when Sora had met him. Merle had decided he had been more useful that way, and never gave him the rank up he'd deserved. Giving Dog the second rank had been one of Sora's first acts when he became a Second here. He figured he'd earned it.  
Danny, naturally, was cooking. It was what he did best. He was also talking with someone else stood nearby. A chance glance at one arm told him it was someone who belonged to Axel, which meant they were probably asking his advice on something.  
Dog recognised Sora easily, handing him a cup of coffee. It was a habit he'd gotten into while here.  
"You're a blessing in disguise," he told Dog with a faint grin as he took it.  
"And I owe it to you. Can I get you anything else?"  
"Not something on the menu, that's for certain."  
"Trying something new for a change?"  
"Not really. You remember Rue?"  
"Rue..." he thought for a few moments, then nodded, "First ranker, under Sand. Timid, but hardly a coward, he'll take on things that most people wouldn't and isn't afraid to stand against someone if he thinks they're wrong. I never liked that myself, it usually meant getting in trouble."  
"It's been a long time since you had to worry about that, you know."  
"Old habits. I was a first rank for a long time."  
"So has Rue."  
Dog shook his head, "It's not for the want of offering. He doesn't want to give it up."  
"That's a problem."  
"I know. You brought back the old rule. No one to be a first rank for longer than a year, punishments excepted only when given by the Upper Management. I talked with Rue a while ago about it, even Sand's tried to talk him out of it, but he's dead set on staying right where he is."  
"Unusual. I always thought everyone tried to get out of it."  
"Rue's a bit..." he made a gesture by one ear.  
"Know where he'll be?"  
"You could just summon him, you know."  
"Dog, I spend most of my time stuck up top sorting through reports, requests, and all manner of other nonsense. I need to get out from time to time, not lock myself up and have people come to me."  
"Point taken."  
"You never were one for staying put," Danny noted, joining them. "Or keeping out of trouble, as I recall. It seemed follow you around."  
"It's like I'm a magnet for it. Well, used to be, anyway."  
"Things getting too quiet for you? Older Grandmasters always used to find something to get up to. World domination's always been a popular one."  
"I don't even like running this place, let alone any world."  
"I'm just teasing. You'll have to stop by the Jobs Board to find out where Rue is at the moment. Sand's taken a vacation, and told him to sign up for work with the Board until he got back."  
"Do you know everything that goes on around here, or are you just pretending?" Sora asked.  
"I have a secret link to everyone else. I know all and see all," he chuckled. "All that happens in here, anyway. People talk, and a lot of people pass through here. It makes for good gossip."


	4. Chapter 4

_Ancient Forest Isle  
West of the Site of the Old Arcology_

The isle was quiet – dead quiet. Not a plant around, not a creature in sight. Scorched earth and ashes only.  
The ashes were disturbed by the sudden appearance of someone, then the air was disturbed by some cursing. Jamie's heart wasn't in it, but this was hardly remarkable. He _was_ a Nobody, and had no actual feelings as such. Only the appearance of them.  
If Alex had been here, he wasn't here any more. The isle wasn't all that large, and with the exception of one small beach it was a flat plateau with sharp cliffs dropping down to a rough ocean below. There was no need to search the place – at the top, you could see all of it.  
Jamie muttered a few more choice words, then vanished again. A single pair of footprints were the only evidence he'd been there at all.

_The Dark Arcology  
Visitor's Entrance_

Merle sat waiting. The Registry still hadn't gotten back to her, and she was starting to worry. There was a hostility in the air between Zexion and Riku that was verging on tangible. Neither one said or did anything, they didn't even look particularly hostile, but sat on opposite sides of the room to each other, watching each other carefully suggested there was no friendship between them.  
The little girl, Kairi, had taken a nap. Merle couldn't blame her. She wanted to herself.  
Finally, someone appeared not far away. Both the visitor's heads snapped to watch the newcomer.  
He was tall, looked weary and had a clipboard in one hand. On one wrist, his markings told her he was a fourth rank, and his name was Tom.  
"What is this all about?" he asked her. "Visitors? Can't you even make up something believable?"  
She gave him a little cough and nodded to behind him. He glanced back, saw the three visitors, then muttered something.  
"I didn't quite catch that," Merle said with a smile.  
"I said I'm sorry I doubted you," he answered grudgingly. "Which one is Ze-"  
"Don't say his name. He asked not to be identified when the others turned up."  
"Right. That answers that." He turned again, pointed at Zexion and said, "You. Over here." He waited for him to approach, then continued, "It says here you're looking for someone."  
"That's right," Zexion murmured, keeping his voice down. Merle assumed it was because he didn't want Riku to identify him.  
"Who?"  
"No one to worry about."  
"I have to have some details before I can let you in."  
"I don't plan on disrupting things here if that's what you mean."  
"Why are you looking for him?"  
"Because this is where he said he'd be."  
"Then what does he want you for?"  
"I don't know yet. I'll let you know when I find him."  
Tom took this in for a few moments, scribbling some notes on the clipboard, then handed him a card.  
"Keep it on you while you're in the Arcology. We kindly ask to you to refrain from interfering with anything you see no matter how much you might want to. If you've got a problem with something, just mention it at any of the Registry offices."  
"That's it?"  
"That's it. Just go up the stairs, and don't lose that card."  
Zexion took it, stowed it in a pocket and then with a last glance back at Riku, left them again.  
"I guess that went better than I thought," Tom muttered afterwards.  
"You're going to get pulled up on a vague reason, you know," Merle warned.  
"No one really cares. The only important thing is that we have visitors for the first time." He flicked over to the next page, read it, then called Riku and Kairi over. "You want to see the Grandmaster, I understand."  
"If you mean Sora, then yes," Kairi answered.  
"Why?"  
"He said he'd stop by and see me ages ago, and hasn't. So now I'm stopping by and finding out why he didn't visit."  
"You forgot to mention the tirade you're likely to throw at him," Riku added.  
"Shush. They'll go and warn him now you've told them."  
Tom looked from Riku to Kairi, then sighed.  
"We finally get visitors, and they turn out to be some of the strangest people ever. Is no one normal outside anymore?"  
They gave him a curious look.  
"Bad day," Merle explained to them. "Probably."  
"You wouldn't believe some of the things that came through today," Tom told them in a resigned tone. He handed each of them their own cards, repeated his warning, then added, "Just go on up to the 20th floor. I'll make arrangements for a guide to meet you there."  
"A guide? What for?"  
"You'll need one before you're allowed up to see Sora," he shrugged. "Don't ask me why, I didn't make the rules. I'd say Sora did, but he's kept most of them around, just changed how they're implemented mostly. Go on up."

_Radiant Garden  
Arcology Field Lab_

The lab had been constructed in no time, and the delivery of Heartless, supervised by Axel himself because of his experience with them, came not long after. It became clear almost as soon as they began to examine them that they would not mutate. The influences weren't there. Connections remained to several Nobodies, despite their distance from the Arcology itself, and the lack of any known Nobodies besides Axel in the vicinity.  
The mutated Heartless from the lab in the Arcology were then also brought in, and a concurrent study launched in order to determine more about the mutations, and what in the Arcology was the cause.  
Axel, in his typical fashion, had kept watch for a bit, made a few suggestions, then left them to it. He wasn't well known for getting into things himself very often, but wasn't afraid of it if he had to.  
The Heartless that had mutated had started taking on stranger forms. They all seemed to become more human-shaped, but with various differences, either extra arms, or streamers flowing from them. Some grew horns, some gained weapons. A few even started growing hair.  
But now, outside the Arcology, they seemed to be regressing, returning to their normal forms before the Arcology had influenced them.  
There could be no doubt now that something about the Arcology was the cause. The question was what – and why.  
A loud bang from outside the field lab shook the place. The researchers scrambled to stop anything breaking from falling down, then went to find out what had hit them.  
The monitors showed they were under attack by three individuals. A duck, a dog and a mouse, wielding a staff, a shield and a blade shaped like a key respectively. The duck threw a fireball toward the lab, causing it to shake and rumble again on impact.  
This time, the alarm sounded, signalling a breach. These field labs had been designed to be self-contained, with no external access. The only way in was meant to be to simply port in or out, and that meant being a member of the Arcology.  
The researchers all evacuated, taking with them anything that would hint toward who made the lab or what was going on. The Heartless were left behind.  
Aside from more attacks, and the Heartless' attempts to try and escape the confines they'd been left in, the lab was completely silent now.  
The attacks broke off, and the attackers entered the lab.  
"Well, isn't this interesting? It looks like someone's been experimenting on the Heartless."  
"They look different. Think maybe someone's trying to mutate them?"  
"Anything is possible, Donald. It looks likely."  
"It looks like whoever was here left in a hurry," the last of the trio spoke up. "But they were thorough. There's not a single suggestion of who was here."  
"I'm sure we'll find out sooner or later, Goofy. Now, get ready everyone, I'm going to set these Heartless loose."  
"Is that wise, your Majesty?"  
"That's why you gotta get ready – in case they turn on us. If they cause any trouble in the area, we can always come back and handle it."  
The Heartless were set loose. For a time, they milled around aimlessly, then left without even attempting to harm them.  
"That's the last of them," Donald reported. "Still no idea who was here or why."  
"Then we'll have to keep looking. We'll find a clue that'll lead us to Sora eventually. Come on."  
They left again, leaving the lab silent once more. A few moments later, yet another visitor appeared with a sucking sound.  
"Damn. Missed him again." The visitor looked around, then added, "And they've wrecked a field lab too. Whoever put it here isn't going to like that." He shrugged, then vanished again.

_The Dark Arcology  
Floor 82 – Recreational area and food outlets  
Kitchen of The Grand 82nd Floor Take Away_

Sora knocked the door of the Take Away. It was closed, but apparently Rue was working here right now.  
Someone in overalls came to the door, unlocking it and opening it.  
"I'm afraid this place is closed. You'll have to come back later."  
"I'm not here to place an order," Sora replied, showing the markings he had on his wrist like any other member. They showed his name in the signature ornate Gothic lettering, followed by an image of the Arcology, and finally underneath that, a second image in the same shape as the Kingdom Crown hanging around his neck.  
"Grandmaster! I do apologise, I didn't realise it was you."  
The door was opened further to allow him in, then locked behind him.  
"Is that really necessary?" he asked.  
"It saves a lot of trouble while we're at work here."  
"What are you doing here?"  
"We're cleaning up the ducting." He saw Sora's blank expression, then continued, "When the chefs are at work, they've got a fan system that keeps the area cooler, and takes the greasy air out. The ducting leading from above the cookers to the fan gets greasy, and poses a fire risk. So we come in to places like this and clean it out."  
"Sounds... nice... I think. You've got someone called Rue with you."  
"Yeah, he joined us a while back. He's up in the ducting at the moment."  
"_In_ the ducting?"  
"Believe me, it's a lot easier to clean that way."  
"If' he's in the ducting, what are you doing?"  
"Cleaning the fan itself, and supervising. Not that I really need to."  
They went into the kitchen. A part of the ceiling had been taken down, revealing some square metal ducting with a hole in. From it could be heard sounds of scraping, some muffled thumps, and someone moving around.  
The supervisor climbed up a set of ladders and stuck his head into the ducting.  
"Hey, Rue!" he called in.  
There was a bang, a yelp, then, "Stop scaring me like that!" came from further down the ducting.  
"Sorry. How much have you got left in there?"  
"Couple more sections. Won't take me long, it's not tough grease."  
"Finish up quick then, there's someone down here who wants to see you." He climbed back down again. "He shouldn't be long. Might need a hand getting out again, but I wouldn't worry about him too much."  
Sora just nodded. He was having trouble believing anyone actually wanted to do this job. Sure, it seemed necessary, but... crawling into and through ducting? Greasy ducting, at that.  
The supervisor headed off into a back room of the kitchen. Curiously, he glanced in after him to see what he was up to. There was a part of the ducting that went from square to round, and a gap where there should have been another round part. That part was on some cardboard, and turned out to be a fair sized fan.  
"It doesn't look all that greasy," He remarked.  
"I've pretty much finished, actually. Just got to wipe out the smaller parts, give it a quick test, then shift it back up into place. I'll need Rue's help for that, I can't do that myself."  
"If he isn't finished, I'll help."  
"Thanks for the offer Grandmaster, but you'd get yourself a bit greasy if you did."  
"I've had worse."  
"Really?"  
"Try going after a monster that looks like giant seaweed, and getting covered in it's slimy green gunk. Two showers, and I still didn't feel fully clean afterwards."  
The supervisor laughed, then pointed him to a switch on the wall.  
"Would you turn the fan on for a few moments?" He clicked it on. The blades whirred into life, then he nodded to Sora to turn it off again. "Perfect. Thanks."  
A few moments later, Rue's voice came from the ducting: "Stupid rivets!"  
"Do I want to know?" Sora asked.  
"The ducting is put together using rivets," he shrugged. "Which poke through to the inside, and Rue seems to have a knack for finding them when he doesn't want to. They tend to hurt a bit."  
"And he doesn't complain about all this?"  
"Oh, we both complain about it from time to time, but you can ask him yourself, he likes the work. I'm not exactly fond of doing the ducting myself, I'm a bit tall to to fit in some of systems, but Rue's just small enough to be perfect for it."  
"On the way out," Rue's voice came. "Someone grab those ladders. I don't want to fall out again."  
"I thought that was part of the fun," he called into the ducting.  
"I've got a nice ball of grease here I'm sure I can get you with," Rue threatened.  
The supervisor laughed again, heading back into the kitchen. They each took hold of one side of the ladder and waited, listening to the sounded of Rue's exit. There were a few more annoyed mutters of rivets, then a pair of none-too-clean shoes came into view. There were bits of stuff on them that looked more like deformed raisins. Bits of grease, Sora assumed.  
The shoes were followed by some equally greasy overalls, then finally with a bit of a mucky looking face, they guided Rue down and safely onto the ladder. He passed town a torch, a scraper, and an ice-cream tub that was full of even more grease.  
"Stupid ducting," he muttered, taking a cloth from nearby and wiping his hands and face on it. "I swear those rivets are out to get me."  
"Aren't they always?" He nodded toward Sora. "He's been waiting for you."  
"Grandmaster? Uh... can you let us finish the job and get cleaned up first?"  
Sora nodded, "Sure thing. Just mind out for those rivet things."  
"Don't remind me."  
It didn't take them long to put the fan back in place, give it one more test, and put a bit of metal over the hole Rue had climbed out of. Once he'd changed out of the overalls and cleaned up, he rejoined Sora.  
"Sorry to make you wait. I hate to leave a job unfinished."  
"Don't worry about it. I learned about a job I never knew existed before."  
"I know. Most people are like that. They can't believe I'd want to do it either."  
"Why do you want to do it?"  
"I like it. So long as the ducting isn't too small, just give me a torch, tub and scraper, and I'll quite happily clean it up. I might complain about the rivets and screws and things, but it really isn't all that bad." He made a face and continued, "I just wish my hands didn't come out of it looking like this." There were numerous little nicks and cuts over them. "All part of the job though."  
"Couldn't you wear gloves or something?"  
"Could, but it would slow me down. Anyway, you wanted me."  
"Yeah. You're still a first rank."  
"So?"  
"You know no one's meant to stay there for as long as you have."  
"What's that got to do with anything?"  
"Why do you keep turning down a rank up you're offered, Rue?"  
"I don't want it. I don't mind the inconveniences I have to put up with from my rank. Most people know me now, and since you reorganized everything, there's less cases of people bullying first rankers. It's a lot safer now."  
"What do you have now that you'd lose if you became a second rank then?"  
"A sense of security," he shrugged. "I know my place, what's expected, what I have to do and what not to do. It's all clearly defined and set out. Second rankers have a lot of that left up to them to decide, and I don't like that."  
"Everyone has to take responsibility sooner or later. I mean, look at me – I run this place, even if I don't like it. If I can do that, surely you can too."  
"At least wait until Sand gets back if you're going to make me take the rank up."  
"I'm not going to make you, Rue. Not yet, but if you put this off too long, I'm going to have to. I can't let people go running around ignoring the rules like this without doing something."  
Rue looked troubled. "I'll think about it. When Sand gets back, I'll ask him to tell you what happens."  
"Please don't," he said in a pained tone. "He'd just send me more paper to look at. I'll drop in a few days after he gets back."  
"How will you tell when he gets back?"  
Sora simply showed him his markings again. "I made a change to the way they work. Firsts and Seconds can now use them to locate anyone they own, as well as summon them."  
"So yours works on anyone, 'cause you own the entire place."  
"Exactly. It saves time having to chase people up."  
"So why didn't you use it to find me?"  
"I keep forgetting about it," he confessed. "You'd think where I came up with it, I'd remember."  
"It's all that paperwork clogging your head," Rue grinned. "Maybe you should hire us to clean that out too!"

* * *

**A/N: **Yes, the job that Rue was doing really does exist. I know that because it just happens to be my job to go through ducting like that. And yes, the rivets really are as annoying as they sound.  
Just in case you were wondering.


	5. Chapter 5

_Disney Castle  
Hall of the Cornerstone_

The Ancient Forest isle had been burned to the ground at some point in the past, and it's mysterious inhabitant Alex was presumably no more.  
This meant the only way to get his talents would be to look to the past. Not even the Arcology's power could travel through time, but Jamie had found a way around this, inspired by something he'd read about Sora.  
In his past, the Cornerstone of Light had been corrupted once, and allowed Heartless to infest the area. Sora had solved this by using a door in the Hall of the Cornerstone to go to the past to undo the damage, restoring the Cornerstone. Everything Sora had gained up until that point stayed with him when he went back in time this way – so it stood to reason that the same would hold true for him too.  
He found the door, and stepped through into a black and white world. Only he seemed to be unaffected.  
Jamie wasn't interested in this world though. Now was the time to see if his theory held true.  
He knew where the Ancient Forest isle was, closed his eyes, and ported himself – he hoped – to the past isle which existed in this time, instead of the present-day one.  
For a few moments after, it sounded as if it hadn't worked, but gradually sounds of forest-life crept in, the faint whispering of the trees, birds in the branches and the merry crackling of a fire.  
He opened his eyes, and what he saw confirmed it. It must have been autumn, as the leaves of the trees were golden orange, leaving a carpet of fallen leaves to mark the paths between them. The trunks of the trees were easily thicker than most people were wide.  
The leaves rustled as he headed for the source of the fire, twigs snapping underfoot. The fire was in a small clearing, and surrounded by a kind of mud-bank to stop it spreading to anything it shouldn't have. There was a green tent pitched nearby, and hung on a line strung between two tree branches were various garments, left out to dry.  
There was an unpleasant feeling behind him, as if someone was watching him. He began to turn, but stopped when he noticed a tall, thin person with a bow, arrow ready and aimed at him out of the corner of one eye.  
"Ye came into my woods without me knowin'. Who're ye to come in here wi'out my leave?"  
"I don't mean any harm," Jamie replied. "I'm looking for Alex."  
"An' what business be it of yourn that ye seek him?"  
"I've a need for his talent in an investigation I'm on."  
"What makes ye think he'll help the likes of thee?"  
"I'm willing to try to meet whatever price he wants."  
"An' just who do ye work for, and what be this quest of yourn?"  
He expected the Arcology's normal rules to kick in and prevent him from talking about it, but instead he found nothing stopping him from answering, "Grandmaster Sora of the Dark Arcology, and I'm attempting to find the source of the power everyone in it shares."  
The bow was lowered. "No one admits to havin' come from that place."  
"I'm not exactly from it, as such. The Dark Arcology I know is in the future."  
"A time-traveller? Ye wouldn't be called Jamie, by chance?"  
"How did you know?"  
"Call it a hunch. I were told ye have a warning fer me too?"  
He thought for a moment not remembering any, then remembered the sight of the ashen isle.  
"Have you had dealings with someone named Adam recently?"  
"Aye, I sent him on his way just two days ago. He too wanted my aid, but he were none too happy bout giving me what I asked in return fer me meagre service."  
Two days. The piece on Adam had said that on the second day, he'd attempted to burn the forest to the ground.  
"We have to leave soon then."  
"Leave? But this be me home, I cannae just up and leave."  
"It's going to be ashes before long. Adam's going to try to torch the place."  
"This forest has sustained fire before."  
"Not this time, it won't – in your future, my present, I came here. There's nothing but ashes left."  
"It cannae be. Ye must have some proof of this, surely."  
Jamie nodded, concentrated, then opened one hand, palm up. Over it appeared the isle as he'd seen it in the future.  
Alex drew close, examining it. While he did so, Jamie took him in. He wore unusual clothing, in the same oranges and browns and the trees. He had ears that pointed sharply backwards, short hair the same golden colour as the leaves, and deep green eyes. They clearly showed anguish at seeing what would become of the isle.  
Finally, he turned away, ashen faced.  
"Take it away. I can bear it no more."  
"I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could do, but-"  
"Nay. Ye cannae tamper with the time-line. All ye can do is take me from here, and ensure that I live on, even though my home does not. But let me least take seedlings from here, that I might regrow my ancient friends here, and gain some semblance of a forest home away from home."  
Jamie nodded, helping him collect and carry what Alex wanted. When they were done, they returned to where he'd appeared.  
"I'll sore miss this place," Alex said, a wistful tone matched in his look.  
"Maybe with those seedlings, you'll be able to grow it back again."  
"Mayhap. That be in your hands fer now. It be time to leave."  
"Hold on then." He laid a hand on Alex's shoulder, and ported them back to Timeless River.  
"A world of greys only? Truly a strange looking place," he remarked on their arrival.  
"It's not that different really. It's just like an old photograph or something."  
"A _what-_ograph?"  
"I'll explain as we go along. There's a door here that leads back to my time."

_The Dark Arcology  
Axel's Gardens – Floor 20_

"Bad news, Axel," the researcher from the lab told him as he entered. "We lost the lab."  
"How do you lose a lab?"  
"It got attacked, and breached. Standard procedure is to evacuate and leave it without a trace to us. We lost the Heartless there though."  
"Did you manage to find out anything before it happened?"  
"The Arcology is definitely the cause of the mutations, but we have to run some more tests here before we can tell what or why. There's more bad news though. Some of the Heartless we kept here have gotten loose."  
"_What? _How did that happen?"  
"We don't know until we investigate, and can't investigate because no one can get close to the lab. All of the 82nd floor has been taken over by Heartless, and they've spread to the floors above and below. There are unconfirmed reports of them appearing as far up as the 100th floor, and down to the 75th."  
Axel swore under his breath.  
Dog entered and joined them.  
"I've a message from the Registry for you, Axel."  
"More bad news," he muttered. "Go on then, get it over with."  
"The Arcology has visitors, and one of them insists on seeing Sora. The Registry has assigned you to be their guide, since they're not allowed up to the top four floors without a First."  
"It'll be a good chance for you to tell him what's happened," the researcher noted.  
"Oh, yes, a good chance," Axel retorted. "'Here's your guests Sora, by the way the Heartless my people were studying have taken over a few floors of your Arcology, sorry about that'. I can hardly see him liking that."  
"Better he find out from you directly though."  
"I'll mention it... where am I meant to be picking up these visitors, Dog?"  
"Outside in the park area. Their names are Kairi and Riku."  
"Riku?" Axel stared at Dog for a few moments, then put his head in his hands. "Why me? Riku doesn't even like me."  
"Maybe the Registry don't know that."  
"I wonder if I could talk them out of it."  
"Probably not. They're probably already waiting for you."  
He sighed, then got up. "You two go and see if you can stop the Heartless spreading any further. I'm going to get our visitors to Sora, and try not to get my head bitten off when I tell him about this."

_Labyrinth beneath the Arcology  
Level 1_

Zexion knew where he was going. Vexen had shown up again and given him directions.  
It was just a case of following them through the labyrinth until either it changed again, or he found the other stairs leading upwards – the ones that lead to the core of the Arcology's lowest four floors. The labyrinth apparently changed it's layout regularly, as a means of protecting this central core. Whenever it did change, he simply waited for Vexen to figure out the new route, and pass it on to him.  
It was trivial from there on, leading him easily through the maze until he found the stairs he was looking for. They were much smaller and far steeper than the ones he'd gone down to reach here.  
At the top, it opened into a large, square room that stretched upwards. Around the outside wall a staircase wound it's way upwards to a see-through platform at the top – but the he wasn't interested in this.  
He was more interested in the two objects hanging in the room, one above the other._  
Thump.  
Thump._  
"Welcome, Zexion," Vexen's voice echoed down to him. "Come on up, and I'll give you that explanation I promised."

_20th floor Park_

"It doesn't look all that bad to me."  
"There's more to it than you can see on the surface, Kairi. I don't like it, and I don't trust it."  
"I'm sure you're just worrying over nothing. Sora will be able to explain it."  
"After you're done with him, you mean."  
"He should have sent word or something," she sniffed. "It's not that hard to send a letter."  
Riku didn't answer, watching what was going on with a mixture of disapproval and distaste.  
Someone approaching caught his eye. He nudged Kairi.  
"Isn't that..."  
"Sora... no, Sora told me he only looked like that outside because he couldn't be himself... so that has to be..."  
The person wore the robe of an Organization XIII member, and stopped nearby.  
"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise?" he greeted them. "The Arcology's second guests, and it turns out to be you two."  
"What're you doing here?" Riku demanded.  
"Stop that," Kairi told him. "It's obvious what he's doing here. Axel's going to be our guide, right?"  
"Pretty much. Shall we go? We have go all the way to the top of the Arcology, you know."  
"Please don't say we have to take the stairs again?"  
"Of course not. We'll take the lifts."

_Grandmaster's Office – Floor 197_

Axel led them through the great halls at the top of the Arcology to Sora's office, rapping on the door.  
"He shouldn't take long to respond," he murmured. "Unless he's out again. It happens a lot."  
"Come in," Sora's voice absently told them.  
The Grandmaster's Office looked the same as it always did, books on one side, and his own more personal touches on the other. Sora himself was beside the windows at the back, walking along with a steaming cup in one hand, a sandwich in the other, a plate of more sandwiches hovering nearby, and several bits of paper hovering just in front of him.  
"Why are they even bothering me with this?" he muttered to himself. "It's not like that can't deal with it themselves."  
"Busy?" Axel asked him.  
"Just more paperwork. I can't seem to get rid of it."  
"It's the nature of leaders to have to put up with it."  
"Whoever came up with that rule probably better steer clear of me," he answered darkly, taking a drink but still not looking up. "What's bothering you to call you up here? I thought you hated coming all this way."  
"It wasn't entirely my idea. There's a bit of good news, and two bits of bad news."  
"More bad news? As if the day wasn't bad enough. Go on, get it over with."  
"The good news is the Arcology's had it's first two groups of visitors on record. The first bit of bad news is that I got told to guide some of them up here, and I gather one of them isn't too pleased with you."  
"Visitors? Here? Who could that be?" He finally glanced over, saw Riku, then saw Kairi's smouldering expression. "Oh," he said then quietly.  
"Oh!" Kairi repeated. "Is that all you've got to say?"  
Riku put a hand on her shoulder, "Hold on just a little longer, Kairi – Axel's got to give him the other bad news, remember."  
Reluctantly, she held back the tirade she had in store for Sora, but her expression showed she still wasn't pleased with him.  
Sora just looked back to Axel.  
"It's a small matter really, hardly worth your attention, but a few people persuaded me it was probably better I tell you," he explained glibly.  
"What is it?"  
"Nothing to worry about, honest-"  
"Axel!"  
"There... may have been a little escape of some of the Heartless my people were studying... and they may have sort of... taken over a few floors of the Arcology a bit."  
"_What?_" Sora's previous worry from Kairi's presence vanished instantly. The papers dropped to the desk, closely followed by the plate, which missed, smashing on the floor and scattering sandwiches. _"_Are you insane, Axel? You let Heartless get loose in my Arcology?"  
"It wasn't my fault Sora, we don't know how it happened yet."  
"That's not the point! You were meant to make sure that didn't happen at all!" With some effort, he got himself under control, calmed himself then continued, "Just how many floors have they spread to, Axel?"  
"Well, the lab is on floor 82. When I got the news, there were unconfirmed sightings of them from floor 75 up through to 100."  
"25 floors," Sora confirmed weakly, almost falling into his chair. "You let them take over 25 floors."  
"Sora, I didn't know-"  
"Stop that."  
The windows behind him shifted. Instead of showing a view of the Disney Castle, it now displayed the black sparking clouds most other windows showed.  
"Did he do that?" Riku murmured to Axel.  
"It's possible. He can control what they show. I think I might have upset him a bit though, it might have influenced that control."  
Sora took a long drink from his cup, set it down, then went to one wall and hit it hard. The wall seemed to ripple back from his touch, then his voice echoed through the Arcology:  
"We have an emergency in the Arcology - Evacuate floors 70 to 110. Normal rules forbidding porting have been suspended. No one is to enter these floors without prior permission from their First or above. Lifts are forbidden to stop at those floors, and the exits from the stairs are to be sealed immediately. All Firsts report to the Conference chambers on floor 196."  
"Well that's new. I didn't even know we had an announcement system."  
"It's been around for a while," Sora replied with an edge in his voice. "Just left unused. Why are you still here?"  
"Because the Registry assigned me to be their guide so they could come up here and see you."  
He considered this. Then, "Alright. I'll be with you two once this annoyance is dealt with. Until then, stick with him."  
"Sora, why not let me help with your infestation?" Riku asked him. "You know it'll be tough to take on one of that size by yourself."  
"Welcome to my Arcology," he told Riku bluntly. "I own everyone here. If I decide to share my ability to hurt the Heartless, everyone can do it – even without the keyblade. You are going to stay with Kairi and Axel, and keep out of trouble."  
"Best not to question him when he's like this," Axel murmured. "We'll meet you down in the Conference chambers," he told Sora then. "Come on you two. It looks like you get to enjoy my charming company a bit longer."


	6. Chapter 6

_The Dark Arcology  
Floor 196 – Conference chambers_

Over the years, the Dark Arcology had gained a considerable number of Firsts, and many of them had either a Second, a first rank, or sometimes even both they always brought with them.  
So when the Conference chambers had been added, it had ended up growing even larger than originally expected, providing seating for every single First, and space for two others near each of them. The result was an immense semi-circular amphitheatre-like layout, with tier upon tier of places. In front of them was a long table with nine seats along it. The outermost three were reserved for the six Council members. The next two were for Sab and Roxas, the two Advisors, and finally in the centre, on the grandest seat of them all was the Grandmaster's position.  
It was well known that like a lot of similarly grand-looking things, Sora didn't like it.  
Slowly the Firsts and whoever they brought with them began to fill the chambers. Axel, of course, brought Riku and Kairi with him. One of Sora's friends, Sand, brought Seifer and Rue. Jamie came in with Swordsman, who brought in someone else he didn't know, but from there on there were few people he recognised or knew.  
There were quiet discussions among those present while they waited for the session to begin. Sora listened in on some of them from afar using his own reserves of the Arcology's power. Among the discussions were questions of what the Heartless were, why they were something to worry about, and how they'd got into the Arcology.  
"Just how many Firsts are there?" Sora asked one of the Council members nearby.  
"I believe there's exactly one hundred, Grandmaster," he replied. "There are provisions for up to just under two hundred, giving each First a single floor. No one really wants that many Firsts though. It would be an administrative nightmare."  
"I thought it already was..."  
"Only if you believe the Registry."  
When the Council confirmed that all Firsts were present, they too filed in and took their seats. The discussions quieted down even further.  
Roxas apologised for his not being present, explaining that King Mickey had left the Disney Castle and caused him to have to track him down. He did, however, project a pretty convincing image of himself that would allow him to continue looking for Mickey, and also be present. With that, he and Sab took their seats. Roxas remained standing, rapping on the table for attention.  
Sora breathed a few complaints to himself. He knew what was coming.  
"All rise for the Grandmaster of the Dark Arcology!" Roxas called. The discussions all stopped instantly, replaced with the sound of everyone getting up – those that could, as Sora noted one or two older members had elected to remain seated and give a kind of salute instead.  
"Do you mind, Roxas..." Sora muttered to himself.  
Doing his best to not look the part and still grumbling under his breath, Sora came in, took one look at the seat, then reluctantly sat down. Everyone else followed suit afterwards, then looking to him. It left him feeling distinctly uncomfortable with so many eyes on him.  
This was important though, so he pushed that aside.  
"You all heard the announcement about the emergency situation," he began. "By now, the floors infested with Heartless should have been sealed, preventing them from growing any stronger, consuming any more hearts, or taking any more floors."  
"Forgive us, Grandmaster," one First called, standing. "But I believe I'm right in saying that very few of us know anything about these Heartless."  
"He has a point, Sora," Roxas murmured. "We never did get around to spreading word about them."  
He gave them a brief outline of what they were, what they did, and why it was important to stop them.  
"They've taken a fair few floors of the Arcology, and now we're going to take them back."  
"If they consume those with a heart as you say, then wouldn't we be putting anyone at risk doing so?" someone else called.  
"Normally, yes. I've discovered since coming here that I can gift my ability to harm them easier to others here, which will offer some aid there, but that's not important right now. I don't have the time to go through all of you and your people and find people I would choose, so you're going to have to handle that."  
"And what are we looking for?"  
"Anyone who can fight and is willing to get involved despite the risks. Have them assemble at any of the entrances to those floors and stand ready. The seals on them will be dropped long enough for them to get in, then put back again to prevent them from claiming any more territory."  
"You summoned everyone for this?"  
"Are you questioning my methods?"  
There was an uneasy silence. In the vicinity of the one who'd made that accusation, people started quietly shuffling away from them. One did not accuse any Grandmaster of anything lightly.  
"Not at all," they stammered back. "I meant... only it seemed unnecessary..."  
Sora decided to let it pass this time.  
"I myself will be present, so if you're having trouble convincing someone you think can help, point that out to them." He paused, then carefully avoiding looking at either Riku or Kairi he continued, "It's also come to attention that the Arcology has received it's first guests at the Visitors Entrance. Under no circumstances are any of them allowed near the affected floors. They're our guests, and deserve to be kept safe from such things."  
Kairi looked even more irritated at him, if that was possible, and Riku didn't look much better than her after that statement. Sora pretended not to notice.  
"Does anyone have any further questions?"  
"You can bet on that," the hulking figure of Swordsman boomed. "You've completely left out tactics, Sora."  
"Heartless are pretty stupid," he shrugged. "And you've fought them yourself. They're only a major problem in overwhelming numbers. Which they might have, but this is the Dark Arcology, the source of our power. It's stronger here than anywhere else, we know the place – we have the upper hand."  
"Just what are these Heartless doing in here anyway, and how did they get here?"  
Axel coughed, "That's my fault. As far as I knew, there weren't meant to be any Heartless left at all, but apparently something's keeping them around. I brought some here to study them and find out why that was, and while they were here began to show unusual mutations. The Arcology turned out to be the cause, so while I ordered my team to take a field lab to continue work, I think someone must have released them – though who, how and why, I can't say."

_Core of the Arcology_

"Leaving so soon, Zexion?"  
"I'm just going out to learn some more about this place. Nothing more."  
"Don't let anyone find out what you did upstairs."  
"Of course not."  
Vexen watched him leave, then returned to his experiments. They were progressing well. Their effects had already started to show up in the Heartless in the Arcology. Before long, it would be extended to it's members as well._  
Thou hast not forgotten why I made thee exist again, Vexen?_  
"Of course not," he answered the disembodied voice, somewhat nervously. "It's just taking time."_  
Was that not thy excuse for losing Axel also? And failing to bring Roxas to thy cause? Why dost thou delay?_  
"Those were mistakes. I didn't get to Axel in time, and Roxas is loyal to his other. I couldn't bring him over to my side."_  
Yet the question remains, Vexen. Why the delay? Was I perhaps wrong to gift thee with a second chance?_  
"No! Not at all, I just... I just need more time. Zexion only just got here. I can't rush things. It would make things too risky."_  
Pray thou art correct in that, for should I discover otherwise thy life can be snuffed out once more, and another shall take thy place._  
"Of course not! I'll have what you seek, just wait."

_Ruins of the Old Arcology_

It was late night, and though the moon hung alongside a sky filled with stars, there was next to no light.  
Three figures were only barely visible against the skyline, stood on the hills overlooking the ruins. A fourth, crouched so low on the hill opposite them that only someone nearby would see them, watched and listened carefully.  
"What are we doing here, your Majesty?" one asked.  
"Hush, Donald," another chided him. "Keep your voice down. It's vital that nothing knows we're here."  
"You make it sound like the land itself is alive," the third figure murmured.  
"It is. What used to be here is as alive as any world you went to with Sora."  
"How's that possible?" the first voice asked, only slightly quieter than last time.  
"The same way any new world starts out. Quiet now. Very soon we'll be able to move on unnoticed. Not a sound."  
For a long and tense wait, the fourth continued to watch. Then the trio finally headed into the basin toward the ruins, slowly and silently. To anyone else, the lack of light meant their figures simply disappeared, but this fourth one had come equipped. Something was drawn out of concealment and put to the eyes.  
They watched as the trio continued inwards, ignoring the triangular area for a different route that lead to the tree in the centre. The closer they got, the less ruined the ruins became, and the further back time went. This fourth person knew of these effects already, and was in perfect position to be affected by them, but remain unseen.  
The tree shrunk as time regressed, becoming a sapling again, then only a small plant, until finally the earth it lay in shifted upwards into the ruins and revealed the stairs.  
The three figures waited once more.  
One of them raised a hand and gestured to the others, reminding them to stay silent.  
Finally, after another tense wait, they approached the stairs and went down.  
There was no scream, these intruders remained set on their course, and not thrown away from the stairs.  
Once they were out of sight, the last figure got up, brushing grass off his robe as time progressed back to the present again. A small jewel was drawn out of a pocket and thrown up into the air. As it rose, normal night-time light returned to the area, revealing the figure more clearly. Moments later, a second one, also wearing an Organization robe appeared.  
"What is it? I thought I told you not to call me unless it was important."  
"But it is. Those three you're looking for just slipped in the back way."  
"Didn't you say that was impossible?"  
"They found a way around it. Here," he handed the device he'd looked through over. "I recorded it."  
The other appeared to watch, then nodded. "At least now my search is on familiar territory. Thanks Demy."  
"It's what you employed me to do. How's Axel?"  
"Used to things now. Mind giving me a hand on the inside too?"  
"It'll cost you extra," Demy warned.  
"What more do you want? You've got free run of the Arcology, you're back and you've got your heart back. What else?"  
"How about my sitar back, huh? You never did tell me what happened to it, Roxas."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Warning: Long chapter ahead. I got a bit carried away at one point, and found it better to keep it all in one piece instead of splitting it.

_

* * *

Axel's Gardens_

"Absolutely not! It's completely out of the question."  
"Oh, come on Axel, see reason. I can wield a keyblade too, I can help him."  
"You heard what he said, Riku. I won't go against it."  
"So just leave me alone for a few minutes then, and I'll slip out and do it myself."  
"I said no! You're my responsibility here, I can't just let you go off by yourself."  
"You won't be letting me, just giving me the opportunity to do that."  
"Do you really think Sora's going to let it slide because of that?"  
"I don't think Sora is even in his right mind, right now. He isn't the same Sora I knew."  
"This place changes people, even him. Now drop it. You're not going up there."  
"Alright then. How's this? You know how to deal with these Heartless, you can go help with them. We have to stick around you, so we'll have to tag along – and that means I can help him."  
"Can't you just leave it alone Riku?"  
"He's going to get a ton of people turned into Heartless Axel, I can't just let that happen."  
"They're not going to get turned into Heartless at all. He knows what he's doing, he did this once before."  
"Axel's right there," Kairi added. "I told you about it, when he got rid of the ones at Twilight Town."  
"You also told me he lost people in that."  
"He did," Dog, who was also present, chimed in. "But he and Roxas figured out how to restore them again. Everyone who got made into a Heartless was turned back again. If you count that, we didn't lose anyone at all."  
"You see?" Axel rounded on him again. "Even if they do get turned into Heartless, he knows how to get them back again. We're better off keeping clear. Right Kairi?"  
Riku, still fuming, turned to Kairi. He didn't need to say anything.  
"No," she told them finally. "We're going to go up there, with or without you Axel. I want to talk to him, and he's not getting away from me this time. That means Riku's coming with me to keep me safe, and since you're meant to stay with us, that means you're coming with me too."  
"Not you too," Axel groaned. "It's a complete violation of his orders, Kairi."  
"So you said. But as I understand it, only someone of the first rank can't disobey. You can just tell Sora we bullied you into it."  
"Bullied?"  
"Isn't that what we're doing?" She turned to Dog. "Pretend you didn't hear any of this, please."  
"Hear what?" he smiled.  
"Why do I get the feeling you're all ganging up on me?" Axel complained.  
"Probably because we are," Kairi told him. "Now come on. We better get up there again before he locks them all in."

_Science department 3 – Floor 62  
Mini-Lab 1_

Jamie had spoken briefly with Sora, and had been told to continue with his investigation with Alex. Now they had the chance and time to work on locating the source of their power.  
He'd realised that they wouldn't need much space for their attempts, and had taken up one of the little-used Mini-Labs, smaller labs that held only a few small tools. He ignored even them.  
Instead, he created a variety of objects, both everyday and not so much so, and handed them each in turn to Alex, who examined them with his own talent.  
Alex shook his head after each of them, however. Not a single thing could be gleaned from any of them.  
"Maybe the Arcology itself?" Jamie suggested.  
"Nay. Too much could be as bad as too little. I may not be able to handle it all."  
"Inconvenient," he murmured.  
"If I could examine it _before_ ye gave it form... while it were still power..."  
"I'm not sure if that's possible."  
"Ye ne'er know until ye try. Perhaps let it build up in a set place. Mayhap that will let us see it, and me touch it."  
"It could be risky."  
"Aye. But I be hardly unwary or weak. I kin handle it."  
Jamie gave it a try. The result was a formless dark cloud, reminiscent of the dark corridors Organization XIII used to get around, but far smaller.  
"Be quick. I don't know how long I can hold this."  
Alex nodded, laying a hand on it and closing his eyes to concentrate.  
Moments later, he drew in a sharp breath, then quickly withdrew his hand, snapping his eyes open.  
"It cannae be that. There be no way."  
"What? What is it?"  
Alex shook his head, unable to reply. Instead he took up a pen and paper, writing rapidly. Jamie looked over his shoulder and read.  
"Surely, you don't think..."  
"Nay. I know for certain."  
"And Sora's busy dealing with the Heartless... We've got to do something, Alex."  
"I saw the way there. I think if ye'll lead me to the Arcology's basement, I can lead us the rest of the way."  
"Will just the two of us be able to do anything though?"  
"There be no time to gather others. Time be against us."

_Floor 83 – Residential area_

Sora led a part of their forces through the hallways, keyblade ready. Word so far told him they'd pushed back the Heartless to this floor and the two below – one of which had the lab.  
There were still Heartless on this floor to be dealt with. His people quickly and efficiently flushed most of them out, but some of the more mutated ones were showing signs of intelligence. They'd had to start searching people's quarters in order to find them all.  
The other members on the floor joined him.  
"Nothing," the Second he'd placed in command of it reported.  
"Secure the exits then. We'll cover this area."  
"A suggestion, Grandmaster, if I may." Sora nodded. "We found one hiding under one of the windows. When it was looking away, there was no sign it was there at all. They blend in quite well; you actually have to physically check to make sure."  
He nodded once more, and continued the search.  
The suggestion turned out to be good advice. The last of them were indeed hiding under the windows. Either the mutations were doing more, or there was something strange going on – they looked disturbingly human.  
One last sweep ensured the floor was indeed clear, allowing them to progress to the floor it had started on. A few words to the other groups let them know to proceed.  
There were now eight groups, each two assigned to each quarter of the floor. One would approach the quarter from one side, the other from the other side.  
That was the theory, but it turned out to be pointless. Not a single Heartless was encountered.  
They headed inwards, toward the centre of the floor where the Science labs were. Along the way, Axel turned up with Kairi and Riku.  
"I told you to keep them out of it," he snapped at Axel.  
"I was persuaded to ignore you. She gets quite persuasive when she wants something."  
"Couldn't you wait for me to finish with this?"  
"You ignored me for ages, Sora," Kairi told him accusingly.  
"I had a lot to deal with."  
"You could have at least told me you were safe!"  
"Hush! You'll alert any Heartless still around."  
"What Heartless?" Riku asked. "I haven't seen a single one on this floor. Plenty on the ones below though."  
Sora didn't bother to reply.  
They reached the lab Axel had been using. Axel went in first, then a few moments later called, "It's all clear. They must have left this floor after they started spreading." Then a few moments later, "Hold on. It looks like someone added something to our research."  
"Who?"  
"That's what I'm trying to find out, Sora. Be patient will you?"  
"While you're at it, figure out what set them loose."  
While they waited, he ensured all the floors the Heartless had taken were definitely clear of them, then sent everyone back to work again, reopening the floors for use.  
"Got it."  
"Well?"  
"It was the Heartless."  
"Run that past me again?"  
"The mutations weren't mutations – by the looks of things, they were actually starting to turn back into their complete beings. The system recognised them as people, not Heartless, so mistakenly released them."  
"Is that even possible? Their turning back?"  
"I didn't think so before, but it looks like it is now. From the looks of what they left in here, I'd say whatever gives us our power was doing it."  
Sora looked troubled for a few moments, then uncovered his markings, brushing fingers over them.  
"What is he doing there?" he frowned, then vanished.  
"Sora, you get back here now!" Kairi called after him. "I haven't finished with you yet!"  
"You didn't even get started," Riku sighed. "I don't suppose you know where he's gone?" he asked Axel.  
"I haven't a clue."

_Floor 2 – Disused_

Roxas knew the King was somewhere on this floor, it was a case of where. He also had to hope he'd find him before anyone else down here did – the rogues out to get him weren't allied with Axel's own rogues and their allies. They were still technically a part of the Arcology and still shared in it's power – at least until someone managed to catch them and hand them in to the Arcology's own internal discipline department, namely the Authoritors.  
Sora had shut down this floor some time ago, though as yet there remained no choice for anyone brought in. He'd found no way around forcing people to join, so instead he'd raised the standards on who could be brought in. It wasn't perfect, but it was all he felt he could do for now.  
This had made this and the next two floors havens for the rogues, and now the King was here... the rogues had a plot against him, and Sora had all but ordered him to keep it from happening.  
He rounded a corner into a larger chamber, with all manner of interesting or unusual devices that had once been used to coerce people into joining them, or breaking their spirits – whichever came first.  
The room was, of course, darkened. Even members wouldn't light it up unless the floor was used more actively. He stalked silently through it, keeping a sharp lookout.  
Then he heard a voice echo from a corridor leading away from the room at the other end. Which one, he couldn't tell yet.  
"... for a long time." Though he'd never personally heard the voice, Sora had – and that meant he recognised it. It was the King.  
"Could it be a ruse?" Donald, no doubting that distinctive voice. Roxas moved quicker, trying to tell which way they'd gone.  
"I doubt it," Mickey's voice told Donald. "Let it be. We're not here to right wrongs they've handled."  
There! On the floor. Three sets of footprints, leading to his left. Only one possibility then.  
"Can't see Sora letting people use them things," Goofy's voice echoed down to him. "Seems a bit immoral to me."  
"He probably didn't if he had anything to do with it."  
He tuned his own reserves of the Arcology's power to searching the floor. There were lots of of groups of people, and a lot of them in groups of three. Now he knew he was on the trail of the King, he could identify which group of them was them.  
He could tell there were at least four other groups heading right for them. He hurried onward, not wasting time staying silent now. He couldn't let anything happen to them.  
The floor grew less dusty now, the footprints fading out until they were no longer visible. To make things more annoying, the corridor branched. One led to the upper level of a room ahead, the other it's lower floor.  
The upper one he could drop down from if he spotted King Mickey though, so he took it instead, taking the stairs two at a time. Two of the four groups were now in the same room as the King, and another wasn't far behind.  
"Wait!" he heard Mickey call. "Something's not right here."  
"What is it?" Donald again.  
"Over there!" A new voice called. "They're over there!"  
All four groups of rogues were now in the room and closing fast.  
Roxas came out on the top level. He was on a grid of metal walkways that criss-crossed the room below, which held a wide array of cells. They were all designed to be seen into from the top.  
Mickey was nearby, but the rogues were closer. Roxas masked what would have been tell-tale footsteps on the metal. They would have given his presence away to the rogues.  
"Get ready! Whoever they are, they don't like us!"  
"You don't say," Roxas muttered, bringing his own keyblades to the ready.  
They were by one wall, where several cells had collapsed. It had left the area more open than intended, but also left them backed up against the wall as the first two groups blocked off the exits.  
"King Mickey I presume," one of them said. "We've been looking for you."  
"No doubt for nothing good. We're only here to find Sora."  
"We're not affiliated with the Grandmaster. We're in this for our own gains. And that means dealing with you."  
Roxas took a running leap, landing with a roll between the rogues and Mickey, then getting to his feet with a flourish.  
"I can't let you do that. Surrender now, and I'll lessen the sentences brought against you for breaking Arcology rules."  
"Arcology rules," one snorted. "They're not worth the trouble of abiding by since Sora started meddling, and one bounty hunter sent to bring us back is hardly worth note. Deal with him!"  
"Stand back," he ordered the trio behind him. He created a barrier to keep them safe, then turned his attention to the rogues.  
There were only a dozen of them, some of them armed, some of them not. All but the one who gave the order wielded an axe.  
They were skilled, no doubt about it. Roxas parried several strikes, then retaliated. Two of them went flying into others, bowling them over.  
Two more of them approached. This time he drew on his power again, and sent them flying into a wall nearby instead. They collapsed, unconscious.  
"I said get him you morons, not go to sleep!"  
He sent several more flying by the keyblades alone, and started piling them up inside the remains of one of the cells. A second barrier replaced the crumbled walls, locking them in there. It left them cramped, but he didn't have time to consider their comfort, and probably wouldn't have even if there had been.  
The one giving the orders finally gave an exasperated cry and came at Roxas himself with a scimitar, going at him with quick and deadly speed. Not quick enough to harm him though. Roxas still had plenty of tricks up his sleeves.  
He drew on the power once more, this time to improve his reflexes to counter the quick attacks of his opponent, then went on the offensive again. He dealt blow after blow, his opponent only just barely managing to block each one in turn.  
Roxas struck low, and he jumped back, high and he ducked. He aimed for the middle, and he jumped swiftly aside instead.  
He made a feint, aiming low, but turned up sharply at the last moment. His attempt to block found nothing.  
Oblivion was touched to his neck.  
"Drop it," Roxas told him. The scimitar clattered to the floor.  
"Over with your friends. Don't try anything."  
The barrier let him through into the cell, but prevented him from leaving.  
"You haven't heard the last of this," he told Roxas. "There are others, above me."  
"Shut up," Roxas told them, turning his back on them to face King Mickey for the first time. He dropped the protective barrier. "King Mickey," he said with a nod of his head. "I'm Roxas, Sora's Nobody. He sent me to protect you."  
"It seems you arrived just in time. What of Sora?"  
"Oh, he's upstairs somewhere. Last I heard he had a slight Heartless problem going on."  
"Heartless here?"  
"Yeah, some people were studying them to figure out why they hadn't disappeared yet. Something happened along the way, and they got loose. I've no idea what happened after that. Excuse me just a moment, your Majesty. I've got to do something about them," he jerked his head toward his captives.  
He touched on one of his two sets of markings. A few moments later, they sparked briefly, glowed, then faded.  
"Right. Someone will be down to collect them shortly."  
"What then?" Donald asked him.  
"Oh, they'll get taken up and put on trial. Sora's made the entire process a lot fairer, but I can't see them getting out of their conspiracy to assassinate King Mickey easily."  
"Why would they want to do that?"  
"I have no idea. I imagine if they don't tell us, when we find the ringleaders we'll find out."  
Sounds of fighting erupted from further away. A few moments later there was a cry of, "It's the Grandmaster! Run!"  
"Oh, no you don't!" Sora's distinctive voice shouted after them. Footsteps came closer, followed by booming sounds. Roxas calmly watched as three more rogues were thrown into sight onto the floor.  
"You know, I wouldn't have a problem with Sora's habit of getting involved," he observed. "Except sometimes he has a tendency to get a bit carried away."  
Goofy looked over at the unmoving rogues. "Are they..."  
"No, they're alive. Hurt, but alive."  
"There you are," Sora said, coming into view. "What are you doing here?"  
"I found a few friends of yours, Sora."  
"Donald! And Goofy!"  
Mickey gave a polite cough.  
"You're here too! Are you alright?"  
"Thanks to the timely arrival of Roxas here. I wasn't aware you had a Nobody, Sora."  
"I guess I never got around to mentioning it."  
"No matter. Kairi's been looking for you, you know."  
"She's upstairs with Riku, and kinda upset at me."  
"Don't you think you owe her an apology, and an explanation?"  
Sora looked a little guilty. "It's a bit of a long story."  
"There's plenty of time to explain it. You can tell us all at the same time."  
"I'm afraid you're wrong, your Majesty," yet another new voice said.  
"Zexion!" Roxas exclaimed, recognising him. "How come you're back too?"  
"The same way Axel is. We were both revived by Vexen."  
"Vexen survived?"  
"No. Something else brought him back. I owe him for bringing me back, but I don't agree with what he's up to. So I'm here to warn you." He turned to Sora. "Find Jamie and the one with him. Vexen knows they're coming, he plans to use them against you. Then you need to talk to Axel. Vexen thinks I released the Heartless, which I did – but I also took control of a few of them to give Axel important information on what Vexen's experiments are doing. He should be discovering it soon. You'll need to hear about it."  
Sora nodded, then disappeared.  
"What are you going to do?" Roxas asked Zexion.  
"Go back to Vexen before he finds out I've betrayed him. If I'm present when you confront him, I can't show any sign of it. If stopping him means I'm destroyed again, then I accept that. You ought to take them upstairs and meet up with Axel, Riku and Kairi. Sora will no doubt join you shortly after."  
"Or right now," Sora told him, reappearing with Jamie and Alex in tow. "I found them in the basement."  
"There be little time left," Alex said. "Ye shouldn't have stopped us."  
"You wouldn't have been able to do anything," Zexion shook his head. "Neither of your would. Time is short, but you have more than you think. I can buy you a little extra time, but I'll have to watch it – Vexen's unstable; he might turn on me if he suspects me."  
"Just come to us," Roxas told him.  
"I wouldn't be able to reach you in time. Don't worry about me. You'd better go to Axel."  
He turned and left them without another word.  
"You've certainly been caught up in strange events, Sora," Mickey remarked.  
"I know. Roxas, would you take everyone up to my office? I'll stop by with Axel and bring him and the others up myself."  
Roxas nodded, "We'll meet you up there," as Sora left.  
"Sora has an office now?" Donald asked.  
"Yeah, he's the one who runs this place. He complains about it a lot, and hates all the paperwork, but trust me, he isn't lying when he says there was no choice. Anyway, lets get upstairs."


	8. Chapter 8

_Grandmaster's Office_

Sora had added several couches and squashy chairs to the room in preparation. Roxas would be bringing the others shortly.  
He'd made peace with Kairi, after listening to her finally get it all off her chest and managing to apologise.  
Riku had taken one of the chairs and lounged in it in a half-doze, claiming he'd need it if they were going up against something serious again. Once Kairi had calmed down, she'd followed his example.  
Sora meanwhile returned to trying to sort through the paperwork, if nothing else to try and find some of the top of his desk that was hiding underneath it. Some things he couldn't deal with right away, so were filed away separately. He'd get around to them again eventually. He always dealt with every issue they brought to him, even if it took a little while to get around to his attention. The Arcology was patient, and anything important was always marked as such.  
By the time Roxas showed everyone in, he'd managed to tidy the desk up to just a few small and considerably neater stacks.  
"Guess this makes you equal with me now, huh?" Mickey quipped on seeing the room. "An entire realm all of your own."  
"Sometimes I still wish I didn't have it," Sora shook his head. "It's more work than I ever thought it could be."  
Mickey chuckled knowingly, taking a seat with Kairi and Riku. "Alright then Sora. Roxas explained to me what you're doing here on our way up, but not why you didn't stop by to see anyone else. Why don't we start there?"  
"You could have told them, Roxas."  
But Roxas shook his head, "Riku and Kairi ought to know too. Unless you told them."  
"Not yet. I guess it's as good a place as any. Did you happen to mention-"  
"Yeah, I mentioned Sephiroth was Grandmaster at the time."  
"Right. After we broke the Heartless attack on Twilight Town, he secretly set in motion several attempts to get rid of me because I was a threat to him. Roxas found out about them, got inside and tried to stop them. We sort of succeeded."  
"Sort of? I stopped one entirely, if it hadn't been for the Firsts of the Arcology taking sides, I'd have had the others to deal with."  
Riku leaned forward, looking curious. "Taking sides between what?"  
"Defending Sora from the various attacks on him, or taking part in them. Practically every First involved got given an official warning from Sephiroth about that."  
"You're getting ahead, Roxas," Sora complained. "I got caught eventually. One of them knocked me out, and the next thing I remember I was waking up in here. Sephiroth had stuck me down as a first rank as a punishment – and to keep me out of trouble."  
"He did that to you?" Kairi asked. "Wasn't that hard?"  
"I didn't like it, that's for sure. He did something to stop anyone else from seeing me for me, and got me to deliver the official warnings Roxas mentioned. Sephiroth didn't know it, but Roxas could see through whatever he'd done and see me. I didn't know about that until after, and wasn't allowed to talk about what had happened to me anyway."  
"Sephiroth picked him off me before I could try to do anything about it," Roxas continued for him. "He gave him a rare drug I'd come across before while trying to stop the plots. It's an unpleasant one. I won't go into all the effects, but once you start taking it, you've got to keep taking it. The reason Sephiroth used it was because it let him manipulate Sora – anything he told him, Sora would believe."  
Now Donald looked worried, "He didn't use it, did he?"  
"Unfortunately, he did, and before Roxas had managed to create a cure or antidote for it as well. I ended up believing I was someone else for a long while because of that, which accounts for a fair part of why I didn't get in touch with anyone. Sephiroth used the time to create a clone of me, to try to supplant me."  
Mickey nodded, "A tame copy of you under his control. You were too powerful for him. It makes sense."  
"Surely you don't support what happened, your Majesty," Goofy protested.  
"Of course not. But I can appreciate _why_ Sephiroth did it. Go on with your story Sora."  
"Actually, it's more Roxas' story here. It's because of him I'm not still like that."  
All eyes turned to Roxas.  
"It wasn't really all that hard. While Sora was busy believing he was someone else, Sephiroth made me First in Sora's place. I spent most of the time trying to figure out where Sora was, which is when Axel finally showed me who he was. Up until then, I thought he was just a ringleader of some of the rogues in the Arcology."  
"No relation to the ones who tried to attack you earlier, your Majesty," Axel added quickly. "My rogues are a bit more selective about what we do and who we do it to. While Roxas tried to get his head around Sora's place, I went looking for Sora myself," he continued the story. "I tracked the real Sora down not long after Sephiroth woke up his clone."  
"That's impossible," Riku protested. "A clone would need a lot longer to grow than that, surely."  
"He sped up the growth artificially," Roxas explained. "It had a few unwanted side effects, but we didn't see that until later."  
"Not that much later," Axel disagreed. "I brought Sora to Roxas, then the copy of him attacked us. Roxas beat him, of course, then set their memories straight – Sora knew he was Sora again, and Roxas dumped the memories of who Sora thought he was into the clone."  
"Which disintegrated into dust not long after," Roxas added. "Sora was still a first rank though. Sephiroth had told me that if Sora were found, he'd reinstate him."  
"I think I see where this is going," Kairi murmured.  
"Then don't spoil it for the rest of us," Mickey told her.  
"We came up with a neat little plan," Sora went on. "Roxas took me up to see Sephiroth, confronted him and got me back my place. When Roxas gave him the remains of his fake, he tried to go after him, so I stopped him, and when he tried to order me aside, I challenged him. Roxas broadcast the entire thing to the entire Arcology, so everyone could see what was going on."  
"It was an epic battle," Roxas told them. "You had to have been there to believe it. They both used the Arcology's power, but we had the trump-card. When Sora ran out of power, we supplied him with ours, giving him everything he needed to finish Sephiroth."  
"Where is he now?" Mickey asked. "Sephiroth, I mean."  
Sora sighed, looking depressed and uneasy. He got up and turned away from them, looking out the window into the dark clouds beyond.  
Both Roxas and Axel shook their heads in turn as the others looked to them. Even Jamie wouldn't say anything.  
Finally, Sora answered the question with a bowed head and a quiet voice with a tone that clearly showed the regret of his actions.  
"I had to kill him." There was a long pause before he continued, "The Arcology's rules state that the only way to succeed one Grandmaster is for the previous one to die. I couldn't let him stay in power, and that meant I had to do it. I had no choice... it was either him or me."  
"You did what you thought was right," Mickey tried to console him.  
"No," Sora answered. "I did it because so much trouble, so many terrible things had happened because of either him or me since my arrival here, because we were both responsible for it all happening... that's why I did it. Not because it was good or right. I did it because he'd only keep it up, and I wanted to put things right again and make it a better place."  
"Isn't that the definition of doing the right thing?"  
"Jamie," he said then, still not turning back. "Tell them what I told you to do, and what you and Alex have found out."  
"I've been searching for the source of the Dark Arcology's power, which all of it's members draw from. That search led me to Alex, who agreed to put his talent to use helping me, and we found some disturbing things. On floors two, three and four of the Arcology, there is a part in the centre which is unreachable without first passing through the basement to a set of stairs hidden there. Originally, it was empty, but something happened that created a Kingdom Heart there. It gave the Arcology it's own life, separate from the world it was on, and where it used to stand became known as the Site of the Old Arcology."  
"A Kingdom Heart..." Mickey repeated in wonderment. He glanced to the windows where Sora was and realization dawned. "The Arcology exists in the Realm of the Between – that's what you can see out there. It explains the power too, a Kingdom Heart has great power, it always courses through everyone of it's worlds. With the Arcology being the only world it has, the power routed through it's members must have been so great, it manifests as something you can use."  
"That's not the worst part of it," Sora said, taking his seat behind the desk again. "Jamie?"  
"There used to only be one Heart there. Every time someone of the Arcology died, their heart was added to it. Over time, too many accumulated, and a second, lesser one was formed. At some point in the past, that Heart was connected to the same one Sora and Riku fought Xemnas inside, which corrupted it, and in turn it's parent. Thanks to Zexion's information, Axel and I have figured out what Vexen is trying to do."  
"He's trying to achieve the same thing Xemnas originally wanted, his own Kingdom Heart," Axel informed them. "Every Heartless slain adds it's heart to the child Heart, as well as those of all who perish within the confines, which I believe is why they were after you, your Majesty – your heart, if you don't mind my saying so, would be a considerable addition to any Kingdom Heart."  
"That be not all there is to it," Alex broke in. "There be a mind within that Heart too. If Vexen gives it enough Hearts, it'll be enough to give the mind form again."  
"Then who is the mind inside it?"  
"That of the first Grandmaster, the one who brought about it's Kingdom Heart through means unknown. If that heart matches it's parent for size and power, he will be restored."  
There was a silence in the room for several minutes, then Axel spoke up once more.  
"I don't mean to make the situation sound any worse than it already is, but I found something else in the information Zexion left us."  
"Go on," Sora told him. "It can hardly make things that much worse."  
"Well, it seems Vexen has been experimenting on the Arcology's Kingdom Heart in order to artificially gain more hearts for the child Heart. Roxas is immune to it, but other Nobodies and anyone with a heart that's a member of the Arcology..."  
"Yes?" the question came from several parts of the room together.  
"Well, the situations are being reversed, essentially. The Nobodies are gaining a Heart, while all Somebodys and complete beings are losing them. There's a rather interesting side effect of this, which is that if Sora and Roxas rejoined again, it would be Roxas we'd all see this time, not Sora."  
"Are you saying that I'm the Nobody now, and I'd rejoin him instead?" Sora asked.  
"Pretty much. Couldn't tell you how to reverse it though. I think we'll want to try to save Zexion if we can, he probably has the highest chance of undoing it. Not that I'd mind all that much."  
"You wouldn't," Roxas smiled. "Wasn't it you who said you'd do anything to turn Sora into a Heartless again, just to bring me back?"  
"Hey, you made me feel like I had a Heart. Which I really do now, but that's beside the point."  
"Interesting," Mickey murmured. "What do we do now, Sora?"  
"Why are you asking me?"  
"This is the Dark Arcology, and you're it's Grandmaster. That makes it your show and your call."  
"Stopping Vexen would probably be a very good idea," Riku suggested.  
"You don't say," Sora retorted.  
"Be nice," Kairi told him.  
"I am being nice. I haven't once lost my temper."  
"But Sora, if Axel is right, you're a Nobody now. You don't have a heart, which means you can't lose your temper."  
Sora blinked, thinking this over.  
"Well, at least it means I'll probably come up with a better plan than usual without all that in the way."


	9. Chapter 9

_Basement under the Arcology  
Level 1_

Alex was leading them all through the Arcology's basements, in theory to the hidden stairs. The walls' tendency to rearrange themselves at a moments notice made it somewhat difficult, and made Alex steadily more irritable.  
"Hey, Riku? Remember that time at Maleficent's castle?" Sora asked.  
"I've been trying not to. Why bring it up?"  
"This reminds me perfectly of it. Me charging off to go take on another evil, go up against someone evil and save the world yet again."  
"At least this time we're on the same side."  
"Will the two of ye be quiet?" Alex snapped. "It be hard enough to find the way without your reminiscing." The walls shifted positions again as he spoke. "Sora! Can ye not do something about this? It be _your_ Arcology," he reminded him almost accusingly.  
"I have no idea. I don't know nearly as much about this part of the Arcology as I probably should."  
"Well, at least try something will ye? Every time it rearranges, it seems to give us a longer route."  
Sora appeared to think, then lay a hand against one wall, the same way Alex did to utilize his own talent.  
For a few long moments, nothing seemed to happen. Then the walls rearranged again. Alex muttered something to himself, brushing his fingers over the wall himself. His muttering broke off sharply.  
"He's done it," he announced. "We've a direct route to the stairs."  
"He's still doing something," Riku pointed out. Sora wasn't moving. "I don't suppose you're getting anything from him, Roxas?"  
"Not since he became the Nobody. It works in reverse now, he'll keep getting fragments of my memories instead."  
Sora stumbled back as if hit by someone, blinking and breathing heavily.  
"Are you alright?"  
"No," he answered, stumbling as he reached out to steady himself on Riku's shoulder. "You don't want to know what I encountered."  
"It's a wall, Sora. It's not like there's a mind in there too."  
"Don't be so sure of that," he told them, still looking shaken. "We have to hurry while it's still in this layout. I don't know how long I made it last for."  
Roxas looked speculative, but said nothing. He supported Sora's other side, between him and Riku following Alex along the route Sora had forced it into.  
There was no chance of getting lost. The route had no branches, just one unbroken and winding corridor that led to-  
"Oh, great," Sora said sardonically. "A dead end."  
Both Riku and Roxas glanced at him sharply.  
"What are you talking about Sora, the stairs are right there."  
"All I see is a blank wall."  
There was a brief check among the others.  
"Looks like you're the only one who can't see them, Sora," Mickey told him after. "Even I can tell they're right there."  
Axel suddenly burst out laughing. "You're all missing it entirely," he told them when he recovered. "It's so obvious I'm amazed no one else has realized it yet."  
"Realized what?" Kairi asked him.  
"Roxas, look toward the stairs, but not at them – what do you see there?"  
"The stairs."  
"Not at them, just toward them," he reminded him.  
He looked puzzled for a few moments, then tried again.  
"Oh, I see," he said finally. "That's clever."  
"Will someone tell me why I can't see these stairs?"  
"Calm down, Sora," Roxas told him. "It's because you haven't got a Heart. The rest of us do, so we can see it."  
"Well then why can Zexion and Vexen see it?"  
"My guess is that they've also have hearts now."  
"So the wall is just an illusion?"  
"Looks like it."  
Riku and Roxas, still supporting him, helped him to the stairs. The illusion turned out to be solid for Sora.  
Riku then took out a blindfold, covered Sora's eyes with it, and tried again. This time, the illusion didn't get in the way.  
"Where did you come up with that idea?" Roxas asked him.  
"Illusions are only there if you can see them. I prevented him from seeing them, so it stopped existing for him."  
"Neat."

_Core of the Arcology_

The child Heart hung, upside down, from a thin off-white band of light attached to the bottom of the Arcology's own Heart. From both of them, more strands attached themselves to the walls and traced their own chaotic network of designs and patterns. Only the floor and Vexen's platforms were untouched, and only a few parts of the walls were still visible.  
Once both white, the two Hearts were now both purest black.  
Vexen glanced down through the see-through floor.  
"It seems we have guests, Zexion. Handle them."  
"Have you seen who's down there?"  
"Of course."  
"You still want me to do it?"  
"Is there a problem with that? Their Hearts will only add to ours, and bring about what we want – or do you not want to be a part of this any more?"  
"I didn't say that. Sora is there though, and so are Roxas and the King himself. I doubt I could do more than delay them for a few minutes if they all turned on me at once."  
"A delay is all we need before our goal is achieved. He will emerge very soon."  
There was a pause, then he nodded and started down towards them.  
Since he had first arrived here, Vexen had added two additional transparent platforms, leaving them with one at the equivalent of the second, third and fourth floors outside the core. He met their company on the second floor.  
"That's far enough," he told them. "You don't pass here."  
"What are you doing?" Roxas burst out. "You know what we're trying to do."  
Zexion nodded, "We can't allow that to happen," he told them, choosing his words carefully.  
They caught the hint, and played along.  
"Just how do you plan to stop us?" Sora, now without Riku or Roxas supporting him but still unsteady on his feet, asked.  
"How else?" He flicked open the Lexicon. Their reflections in the floors both above and below seemed to come to life, climbing out of, or falling down from the floors, leaving two mirror images of each of them.  
Sora murmured something to Riku, who shook his head, then to Roxas. Something was slipped from Riku to Roxas behind Sora's back.  
"Leave this to me," he told them aloud with a confident air.  
"Are you sure you can handle it?" Mickey asked.  
"Trust me," he smirked, tying a blindfold over his eyes. He strode directly into the middle of the mirror images. Several struck at him, but with no obvious effect.  
"What's this?" Zexion exclaimed. "I can't have made a mistake!"  
Roxas turned towards him, gave another smirk, then pulled out his keyblades. In moments, the images that had gathered around him were back where they belonged, and no longer a threat.  
"Impossible... there's no way..."  
"Illusions are only real if you can see them," Sora told him. "If they're not real, they can't hurt you."  
"The blindfold."  
"Exactly," Roxas grinned. "Care to surrender?"  
"Of course he doesn't," Vexen's voice told them. "Keep them busy, Zexion."  
Zexion rolled his eyes upwards.  
"I'd doubt his sanity, but I don't think he had any in the first place."  
"Come with us then," Kairi offered. "We'll protect you from him."  
"You'd better hurry up to him then," he told them. "It's only a matter of minutes now."  
The two Hearts shook, shaking the entire Arcology with them. Cracks began to form on the platform they stood on.  
Everyone quickly scrambled to the staircase winding around the outside, following it upwards. With a second quake, the second platform cracked, the first shattering then smashing on the ground with a great crash. Part of the staircase ahead crumbled and collapsed down onto the second platform, sending it down too.  
Sora was quick to aid them though. He pushed past everyone else, put his hand where the first of the missing steps used to be, and formed a new set of stairs out of pure light.  
"Hurry!" he told them. "I have to remain in contact with them for them to exist, and if there's another quake while you're on them..." he left it hanging. Kairi was the last to go, pausing beside him. "Go!" he insisted.  
"But Sora-"  
"Trust me, Kairi. I've always come back safely before."  
She hesitated, but nodded and ran on ahead.  
"I'll hold you to that promise," she told him.  
Another quake struck the Arcology, throwing Sora away from his created steps and almost off the remaining real ones. Quick reflexes saved him from plummeting down to the glass-littered ground, allowing him to climb back up again. Several more pieces of stairway crumbled away, also crashing to the ground. He was left on a small part, and he could feel his power from the Arcology fading. Something was drawing it from him directly, and leaving him with too little to be useful. If this piece of stair collapsed too...  
He looked up above to the third platform. Unlike the other two, it seemed to be made of sturdier stuff, being entirely undamaged. The others had all made it safely there.  
"What do you hope to achieve?" Vexen was telling them. "It's in full swing now. Not even I can prevent it from happening."  
"You can still stop it if you undo what you did to the Arcology's Heart," Axel told him.  
"And take all those Hearts from the people here from him? Most of those here wouldn't miss them."  
"What about Sora? His Heart is there too."  
"Oh, I know." Vexen told them, his eyes lighting up. "And it'll do far better this way than it ever did with him."  
"We'll see about that," Sora muttered.  
The Arcology shook once more. The child Heart began to spin around until it detached itself from the Arcology's Heart. Black as it had been, traces of white began to appear on it, drawing designs of it's own. They matched those on the walls. They were familiar to Sora somehow, but he couldn't place where.  
"He lives again!" Vexen cried out as the Heart seemed to shrink down and shift into a more human-shaped form. It shot upwards, through the platform above without harming it even as it continued to change it's form.  
Sora realized where he'd seen the designs before. He knew it wasn't an old Grandmaster's mind that had been in there now. That had just been an act.  
The form solidified, becoming a real person before them and confirming Sora's suspicions.  
Vexen was stunned. "This is... but he told me he was..."  
"Be silent," he was told. "You have served me well again, Vexen." A deep breath was taken, then he continued, "Alive once more, and with more than I ever had before."  
"Impossible," Riku murmured.  
"Improbable," Mickey corrected.  
"Will you two stop that and do something?" Kairi told them.  
"What would you have them do? They are as powerless before me as you are, Princess of Heart."


	10. Chapter 10

_Core of the Arcology_

The Arcology's Core lay badly damaged. The staircase that once spiralled around the outside walls had large chunks missing, and several more in precarious places. Upon one lay Sora, not at his full strength. Something had been and still was sapping his power, and an unexpected encounter within the walls of the Arcology had left him feeling worse.  
The floor of the Core was littered with the pieces of stair and shards of shattered glass. The thin staircase that lead back into the basement had been blocked off by a particularly large piece.  
The Kingdom Heart of the Arcology was darkened, it's power also drained by the child Heart even though the two were no longer attached. That child Heart, with the Hearts of every member of the Arcology had taken on form. Sora's own Heart resided inside the form of his own old enemy revived.  
Up at the top of the Core, upon the lone remaining transparent platform, were his friends and enemies. Kairi, Riku, Donald, Goofy, King Mickey, Jamie, Alex and of course Roxas. Zexion and Vexen, previously of the same Organization that Roxas had been a part of, stood there too.  
Then in front of them was the revived enemy, formed from the child Heart.  
In front of them, looking exactly as he had when Sora had confronted him alongside Riku, was Xemnas.  
"I stopped you once before," Riku told him. "With or without Sora – I can do it again."  
"No," Xemnas answered quietly. "You can't. None of you can. Some of you are subject to the authority of the Arcology. As I now possess the Heart of Sora, I can stop any of you even as he could." As if to emphasise his point, he pushed up one sleeve. On it were markings identical to Sora's – complete with 'Sora' in the ornate lettering.  
"I'm not a part of the Arcology. Neither is Kairi."  
"Don't forget about us and the King," Donald added.  
Xemnas merely extended one hand and snapped his fingers. Sora's keyblade appeared in it.  
"What is Sora's, is now mine."  
The keyblade disappeared again.  
As he looked bemused toward where it had been, he then said, "Looking for something?" this time overlaid with strong overtones of Sora's voice. Xemnas looked down sharply toward Sora. He was still stuck on the small chunk of stair, sat leaning against the wall with a cocky smirk, tossing his keyblade from one hand to the other.  
"You might have my Heart," he told Xemnas, Xemnas seemingly forced to repeat his words in unison, "But you'll never control it – or anything else you try to take from me."  
"You are not Xemnas," Jamie accused then. "Xemnas existed long after the Arcology's Kingdom Heart was created. He never had the chance to corrupt it."  
"You stupid boy," Xemnas shook his head. "Why do you think Timeless River exists? The corruption of the Cornerstone was merely a diversion that allowed me to go back and create that link. Then you conveniently removed the only remaining link that could possibly have stopped me – Alex. As long as he remained on the Ancient Forest isle, the isle would never fall to the ravages of fire, and it would protect the past from me."  
"Hold on a moment. I visited there after you claim to have done, and you did at the same time Sora did. You're talking about a paradox."  
"No. Timeless River is true to it's name – Timeless. When I made my visit, yours had already taken place. When you made yours, unaware of what you were doing, you actually made it before Sora made his. I really must thank you Jamie... it was ultimately you who allowed me to be again. You've served me better than Vexen has this time, and you didn't even know it."  
While this had been going on, Zexion had been in a whispered conversation with the King.  
"Try it," Mickey told him.  
Zexion nodded, flicking open his Lexicon. Xemnas' reflection drew up out of the platform, then vanished again.  
"What's wrong, Zexion?" he taunted. "Can't make me face myself? I embody nothingness. You cannot create nothing from nothing."  
"Then we'll just have to take you on the old-fashioned way," Mickey asserted. "Everyone take arms – we'll do this together!"  
Weapons were sprouted from all, even Kairi managed to find a keyblade.  
"I forbid all those of the Arcology to stand against me," Xemnas told them.  
Roxas' keyblades and Axel's Chakrams vanished. Jamie's spear did not vanish, instead he was forced to take a more passive stance.  
"I don't," Sora said through Xemnas. "Stand against him all you want. I exempt you from having to follow commands issued by any using my Heart or position until we're finished here."  
The weapons reappeared again, and Jamie was able to take up battle stance once more.  
"You're beginning to irritate me, boy."  
"Only beginning to? Damn, I can do better than that."  
Xemnas drew out two of his ethereal blades, but they quickly vanished as Sora's Keyblade reappeared in Xemnas' hand.  
"What are you _doing_?" Roxas shouted down to him.  
"Trust me!" Sora called back.  
"I hate it when he says that."  
In moments the allies, Vexen now included, had surrounded Xemnas and were on the attack, jabbing and stabbing, hacking and slashing, with magic and blade, staff and shield, spear and wits.  
Sora's reasoning wasn't apparent. With the Keyblade at his disposal, any defence any of them mustered was easily cut through. Donald's magic was more often reflected back at them than not. Zexion conjured whole armies of illusions and mirror images, but few of them got to land anything before they were dispelled.  
Goofy was repeatedly thrown back, his shield no help at all. Through it all, Roxas, Riku and Mickey seemed to achieve the most, their own keyblades doing more than anything else. Xemnas had to continually block not one, but four keyblades.  
Every time Xemnas broke a large enough gap through them, Jamie appeared there and hurled a wedge at him from the tip of the spear, emphasised with the name of the element and backed up by a ball of whatever the chosen element was direct from the Arcology's power itself. This close to it's source, their power was magnified immensely, making up for the drain Xemnas was placing on them. Only Sora seemed unaffected by this boost.  
Through it all, Axel threw fire alone around, skilfully guiding it away from the allies and toward Xemnas. Whenever Xemnas made an attempt for Kairi, his fire was there to stop him. At one point, all but he, Jamie and Kairi were scattered to the walls. They stood between him and her, and both launched every fire-based attack they had in their arsenal while Donald and Roxas went around casting Cure on everyone else  
Xemnas retaliated with his barrage of lasers, but this time Kairi came to the rescue, using various reflection spells to send them straight back at him, allowing their allies to get back to the attack.  
Just as Xemnas seemed to be getting to grips with the Keyblade, Sora caused it to vanish again at a critical moment, allowing several attacks to land unhindered.  
Xemnas brought back the twin ethereal blades, resuming his assault. With these blades, he had twice the power, and was able to block twice as often and prevent most attacks from harming him, but also seemed unable to break through their concerted defences to harm them.  
Once more, as Xemnas was readjusting back to his accustomed weapon and preparing to block attacks, Sora switched the weapons. The howls of frustration were edged with snarls directed at him.  
This time round, having more experience with the Keyblade made the fight biased toward him, but the allies quickly picked up on Xemnas' routines and habits, and through their own experience battling him brought the balance back again.  
Sora changed the weapons again and again, with increasing frequency as Xemnas began to anticipate the timings between them until it made no difference any longer. Sora left him with his ethereal blades for the safety of his friends, then waited.  
Xemnas grew increasingly frustrated as his attacks were blocked time after time, and his attackers began to learn and exploit his defences against him until at last, he vanished and appeared in mid air beside Sora.  
"So you finally got back to me," Sora greeted him. "Am I really that low of a priority to you that you've only just worked around to my attention?"  
"Silence, boy," he growled. "You've troubled me long enough. You are a Nobody now, a mere shell, and I shall destroy you like any other."  
Sora made no move to stop him, crossing his arms defiantly and continuing to grin even as Xemnas made attack after attack.  
Kairi cried out, running to the part of the platform above him and kneeling as if it would bring him back to her. Similarly shocked expressions were on all faces except those of Alex and Jamie. Theirs were kept carefully blank. Unlike the others who rushed to various positions, they remained behind and apart from them. After a few moments whispered conversation, Jamie fetched Mickey and Donald, continuing the conversation with them present.  
Sora closed his eyes, and seemed to fade away just as any Nobody of the Organization had done.  
Kairi cried out again as he disappeared, only to be comforted by Riku. She clung to him even as he looked down on Xemnas with a mix of disbelief and hatred.  
"I've done it," Xemnas whispered. "I've beaten him. I've... destroyed Sora..."  
There followed a moment of complete silence. With a single glance toward one arm, the Keyblade appeared once again, and he laughed.  
He laughed as he held the Kingdom Key of the Realm of Light, and knew he had triumphed at last over it's previous wielder.  
He laughed as the friends of Sora grieved.  
He laughed until some unseen force struck him with such strength that he was smashed into the floor below, sending a shockwave of glass shards outwards to stick into the walls of the Core, and scattering chunks of debris behind them. More parts of the stairway fell, one piece landing on him.  
It was quickly flung off as the last of the debris settled again, and Xemnas rose again like the wrath of kings. His eyes flashed with malevolence, but nowhere in the Core could he see the source of this attack.  
He vanished, reappearing just underneath the platform, searching from above when once again he was struck by the unseen force and hurled back to the floor almost too quickly to see it happen.  
He rose again.  
"Who's there? Show yourself!"  
"No," a voice breathed so quietly that it could not be identified, but at the same time loud enough for all to hear.  
"I demand you show yourself!"  
"You make no such demand of me."  
"Who are you?"  
"Who do you think?"  
With an angry grunt, the entire Core below the platform was bathed in the barrage of lasers, but none hit anything beyond the opposing walls.  
"Where are you?"  
"Where you least expect it."  
"Are you too afraid to reveal yourself to me? Do you fear my power so much?"  
"I cannot feel fear in any way, Xemnas. Surely you of all people should know this? Do you not realise that even if I could, I would not be afraid?"  
"Then what have you got to lose in facing me?"  
"Nothing," the voice said, taking on form at last. The glass from the floors and walls drew up sharply, then cut through the air to embed themselves in other parts of the walls, cutting the air as they passed through it. With every cut, the outline of a new form appeared in the air in the centre of the Core.  
At first it was merely an outline, then it became a hooded robe. Boots and gloves formed, followed by colour. Not merely black, it shared the designs of white that Xemnas himself wore.  
The wearer stood seemingly motionless in the air, then pushed back the hood. There were gasps of astonishment from above, and from below a snarl of, "You!"

* * *

**A/N: **I _might _have the next chapter available tomorrow... but the chances are slim. So for now, merry christmas to those of you who celebrate it, to those of you who don't, pick the next closest thing, and we'll see who this mysterious newcomer is just as soon as it's all over with!

(You're welcome to make guesses of course... and no doubt some people have an idea - but I'm not saying anything until the next chapter)


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **Hope you all had a good Christmas! Thanks to all those who sent me messages (and the review too!) making the guesses - I nicked a few ideas and went with a slightly different path to the one I'd originally planned.

_

* * *

Unknown_

It had been black for as long as he could remember now. Black, except for the one small patch of white around him. His Heart.  
Of course, it wasn't entirely his. It hadn't been for some time. Not since it had been stolen, forcing a part of him to take a life elsewhere as the Lingering Sentiment.  
But now, things had changed. There were many patches of white here now, each with a figure lying apparently unconscious on them. They stretched on as far as he could see around him.  
Each one was a Heart and it's owner – or a part of them, at least. Only one seemed to be missing it's owner, and that patch seemed to flicker and distort, as if something were trying to gain a hold over it.  
He watched impassively. It had nothing to do with him. He would have fought to gain his own Heart back, but without a form to contain it it would just be lost again.  
The Heart without the owner solidified, becoming as the rest, then it's owner seemed to drop down onto it.  
This was something to do with him now.  
"Ven?" he murmured in a voice not heard for many years. "Is that you?"  
The owner, of course, did not respond.  
Taking a risk, he took to his feet and started leaping from Heart to Heart until he reached the young boy that owned the Heart, and seemed so familiar to him.  
It was not who he thought it was, but there were similarities, and the faint hint of familiarity, as if he'd seen this boy before.  
The boy stirred. He stepped back so he wouldn't be seen, watching the boy get to his feet and look around.  
"I guess these must be all the Hearts that make him up," he said in a voice that also seemed familiar, not noticing the company behind him. "I'll save you all. I'll get you all back where you belong."  
"It's not that easy," he told this newcomer, speaking aloud to him at last.  
"Huh? Who're you?" he asked, turning quickly.  
"Another trapped here just like you. My Heart is over there," he pointed. There was a thin and faint white line from his patch that followed the route here, and connected him to it around his waist like a belt.  
"Yeah, but who are you?"  
"Terra, a Keyblade Master in training... or I was, at least."  
"What happened to you?"  
"_He_ took advantage of my tapping the darkness and possessed me."  
"He? You mean Xemnas?"  
"Xemnas? No, he called himself Xehanort. Anyway, who are you?"  
"I'm Sora, Keyblade Master, wielder of the Keyblade of the realm of Light, and Grandmaster of the Dark Arcology." He made a face, "I hate titles. They make me sound like I think I'm too important."  
"You certainly sound it. You remind me of someone I know... or knew... Ventus."  
"Ventus," Sora echoed, frowning. "It's familiar... I know the name from somewhere." He started pacing around, then stopped and said, "I remember! When I was a kid, I met him... well, not him, but his Heart. He said it needed a place to stay, so I let him stay in my own Heart."  
"I don't suppose I could talk..." he trailed off.  
Sora shook his head, "I wouldn't know how. I think it's up to him anyway."  
Terra let it go, staring out over the collected Hearts again. "You sounded like you know these people."  
"Yeah. They belong to my Arcology. Vexen used the Kingdom Heart that powers it to steal all their Hearts – even mine."  
"But you only just got here. Your Heart was here before you."  
"I know. I got turned into a Nobody. I still exist out there, but without a Heart. I guess I'm the bit of me still with my Heart."  
"You think your body is still out there?"  
"I certainly hope so. It was a key part to the plan."  
"Plan?"  
"Yeah, to get rid of him again. He'll think he's destroying what's left of me there, but if things to go plan, it'll just be a trick."  
"You plan to go back then."  
"Sure do. Can't beat him if I'm stuck in here, right?"  
"If I could reach my own body, I could help."  
"You've got yours still?"  
"It's in a place called the Keyblade Graveyard. Looks like a big suit of armour."  
"Hey, I know that thing! I've fought it before once. It mistook me for my friend Riku."  
"That's my body. It's got all of me that isn't here." Sora's eyes grew thoughtful. "What?"  
"I think you can help. I've got another plan." He turned to the empty air and shouted, "Roxas!"  
"Sora?" a voice came back. Like Sora's voice, it sounded similar to Ventus. "Is that you?"  
"No, it's Xemnas pretending," he answered tartly. "Honestly, who else has a link to you?"  
"Stupid question I guess."  
"I need you to do something for me."

_Core of the Arcology_

The Lingering Sentiment, kept hidden on the platform by a carefully crafted illusion from Zexion, remained motionless except to stare emptily at Xemnas attempting to destroy Sora.  
Roxas seemed to listen for a few moments, then laid a hand on one shoulder. A light began to spread outwards from it. As it passed, the armour seemed to give way to a living person again, wearing a robe matching Xemnas' one.  
The helmet was the last to be replaced, leaving a calm but harsh face framed by somewhat messy dark hair.  
"Well what do you know," he murmured. "Sora was right. I'll take it from here," he told Zexion and Roxas, striding from the illusion, then he too vanished. Roxas glanced at Zexion, who shrugged then turned back to the struggle just in time to see Sora begin to fade away.  
"Oh bugger," Roxas murmured. "I hope he meant for that to happen."  
Zexion flashed him a mysterious smile.  
Down below, Xemnas began to laugh as he summoned and kept Sora's keyblade. He was stopped only by something sending him smashing into the ground.  
Xemnas got up, returned to the air and searched, but was struck down again. There followed a brief conversation with a whispered voice, then the person that had come from the Lingering Sentiment reappeared, also hanging in mid air. He pushed back the hood of his robe. Mickey let out a surprised gasp.  
"You!" Xemnas snarled.  
"It's been a long time, Xehanort. Think you can beat me again?" A keyblade appeared in his own hand, an earthy brown with a long blade and a blue handle.  
"How did you escape the darkness, Terra?"  
"I had help from a new friend. I believe you know him – Sora."  
"Sora!" he half screamed. "I hate you, Sora!"  
Roxas could have sworn he heard Sora's voice murmur, "At last."  
Enraged now, Xemnas rose up to the same level as Terra and swung Sora's Keyblade wildly. Terra coolly blocked without even a change in expression, which seemed to anger Xemnas even more. He seemed to go almost berserk with his attacks, screaming half-formed insults at both Terra and Sora.  
Roxas glanced to the others here. Vexen looked uncertain, as if he couldn't decide who he wanted to win. His new Heart, and with it feelings, seemed to have torn his loyalties. He'd helped in their fight against Xemnas, but had hardly contributed much.  
Zexion was watching with interest. Every once in a while, his eyes would flick to another part of the Core and back. Roxas saw nothing there, leaving him wondering curiously what it was he'd seen.  
Goofy had now joined Donald with Jamie and Alex. It was anyone's guess what they were discussing.  
Mickey had been with them, but left them quickly when he'd seen Terra. Star Seeker, his own keyblade, seemed to twitch in his hand as if he wanted to get involved too. Something clearly held him back though.  
Then there was Riku and Kairi. Kairi hadn't looked back down yet, still practically stuck to Riku, who knelt with her watching. There was no mistaking that look, if it hadn't been for Kairi, he'd have been after a piece of Xemnas in a flash.  
"Not watching the amusements?" Axel asked quietly, coming up beside him.  
"They're hardly amusements. Sora's gone, and now some newcomer is taking a pounding from Xemnas."  
"So you don't see anything out of the ordinary, besides those two?"  
"No, why?"  
Axel led him to the top of the stairs down, where the platform gave way to allow people to go down them.  
"Look over in the corner opposite us," he pointed.  
Roxas peered down, seeing nothing at first.  
Then he realized what Axel had been pointing at, and laughed.  
"I should have known there was a reason he looked so confident."  
"Don't spoil it for the others. I want to see how they react when they find out."  
Terra stumbled back on the air after a particularly strong strike. He was breathing hard now, but refused to give up. Xemnas struck twice more, on the second strike not only disarming him but taking his Keyblade.  
"Alright now," Roxas heard Sora's voice murmur again. "Let's finish this."  
Terra seemed to nod in answer to this, and dropped to a piece of stair in the corner underneath where Roxas stood.  
"What's wrong – afraid?" Xemnas taunted.  
"Of you? Never. Of him?" he looked over to the opposing corner. "Anyone with sense should be."  
"I'm not falling for that trick."  
"Shame," Sora called to him from the corner. "He's right." Kairi looked up when she heard his voice, then looked down.  
Xemnas also turned to see Sora leaning in the corner. He looked exactly the same as he had before being destroyed, except he was a ghostly transparent.  
"I'll take that," he told Xemnas, his keyblade returning to him. Where his ghostly hand took hold of it, he seemed to become real again, an effect that spread until he was fully solid.  
"But I destroyed you!"  
"I'm terribly sorry," he said theatrically, "But that wasn't really me. I tricked you again."  
Xemnas dived at him, but Sora vanished before he got there, leaving him to slam into a wall. He reappeared on the platform nearby.  
"Your Majesty, would you lend me the Kingdom Key from the realm of Darkness?"  
"Of course, Sora," he answered, handing it over. "But what for?"  
"To finish this, of course," he told Mickey. He headed to the stairs with both Kingdom Keys in hand, and walked off where the stairs stopped into mid air.  
Xemnas had apparently recovered, meeting him.  
"You will not escape me again," he growled.  
"That's right. You know why? Because this is my Arcology, and it's residents are as much my friends as Riku, or Kairi, or King Mickey. I fight for my friends when they can't, and I'll save them when they need me most. Right now, they need me, and they can't fight. I'm going to defeat you again, and return all those Hearts back to their rightful owners – and then, you'll be left without a Heart again, because I've given Terra his back as well. All you'll have left is yourself. You don't have any friends, you don't have any allies. You'll be alone, with no one left who cares about you."  
Xemnas gave a disjointed, deranged howl and went even more wild than he had before. Despite everything he had, Sora remained unmoved, simply blocking everything with one of the two Kingdom Keys with barely any effort at all.  
For the third time, Xemnas did battle against him, becoming increasingly more frustrated and frantic. When Sora took a swipe and knocked Terra's keyblade back to it's owner, he simply recreated the ethereal blades and resumed his attack.  
This was what he'd been waiting for. Now he stopped playing the defensive, and went all-out on him. The Kingdom Heart above returned slowly to it's normal white colour now as he fought, and it's beat increased to match the steady, measured strikes Sora was making, emphasising every other blow.  
The twin Kingdom Keys glowed, one light, one dark. As the glows intensified, they seemed to harm Xemnas more and more. Finally he drew away from Sora, keeping his distance.  
"No... this cannot be! I embody nothing... light and dark together... you cannot defeat me!"  
"Light and dark together," Sora repeated holding up the Kingdom Keys. "You don't think I borrowed this one for nothing, do you?"  
"It makes... no difference..."  
"Oh, but it does. I realised one Kingdom Key wasn't going to defeat you. That's why you were able to create the link and come back. Riku has one of the keyblades from the realm of Darkness, but he didn't have the Kingdom Key from there, still allowing you. But with these two... you embody nothing, but these are the weapon against it."  
"They're incomplete that way," Xemnas told him. "They can't be used until completed, and until completed, you'll never defeat me."  
"Oh yeah?"  
Sora crossed the Keyblades together. Their glows merged and encapsulated both of them. When it cleared, a single blade remained, the two Kingdom Keys fused together. From that point outwards was the blade of a sword, and on either side of the point of fusion green teeth faced outwards. The handles of the blade were also merged, Sora's hands on either side.  
High above, the Kingdom Heart rid itself of the last of it's darkness, full and white once more. It went unnoticed in the light of the creation of this new blade.  
"The legendary blade," he heard Mickey tell the others from above.  
"Impossible," Xemnas breathed. "You can't do it alone. It needs one of light and one of dark."  
"I maintain a link to Roxas," Sora told him. "There's nothing that says we need to be combined to do it. He's as much a part of me as I am of him, even separated like this."  
"You wouldn't... it's too dangerous to keep around."  
"I know... but do you know what it means, Xemnas?"  
"The χ-blade... 'χ'... an ancient letter. Some say 'kye,' but the meaning is the same. Death... A letter that spells endings." He then looked surprised at himself. "How do I know this? Why do I know about it?"  
"You may never know," Sora told him. "Guess who's end it is now, Xemnas? Or would you prefer Xehanort?"  
Xemnas either couldn't or wouldn't react, watching swing of the great blade grow closer. All the Hearts within him gave him feelings, and his face showed the fear and horror he had because of it. Not the fear and horror of one Heart, but that of many.  
The blade made a clean cut, though it seemed to leave no damage. Xemnas reached out imploringly to Sora, who still held the blade in both hands, but Sora made no move to aid him.  
He seemed to expand, growing larger until he exploded into a mass of many small white lights floating around the room. Some were larger than others, some winked other colours. They were innumerable, bathing all in their soft lights as they left through the walls.  
"What are they?" Kairi asked in wonderment.  
"Hearts," Roxas told her. "Returning to their Nobodies."  
It took some time for them to clear, and not a single one of them moved during that time.  
Eventually only two were left, hovering in front of Sora.  
"It looks like you've done it again, Sora," a voice seemed to come from one of them.  
"Who... wait. Ventus, right?"  
"You remember! I've been watching. Of course, I can't do much else. I just wanted to tell you something before I rejoined you again."  
"What's that?"  
"Terra. Tell him... tell him I forgive him."  
"What for?"  
"He did something not unlike your friend Riku. Your forgiving him proved I can do the same for Terra."  
"I'll tell him."  
"Thank you, Sora."  
Ventus rejoined Sora's own Heart, which in turn returned to him.  
"Now to do something about the Arcology and it's Heart," Sora murmured to himself.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **Happy new year all! Hope not too many of you are feeling as unwell as some after all the celebrating.

This story isn't nearly as finished as it seems like it is - there's still plenty left to go, so read on, enjoy, and we'll see what I come up with next.

_

* * *

Core of the Arcology_

Ignoring the missing steps, Sora made his way back up to the top of the Core, where the restored Kingdom Heart of the Arcology bathed all in it's light. All but two pairs of eyes were on him. Mickey and Terra seemed more concerned about the blade he wielded, formed from the Kingdom Keys of both Light and Dark realms.  
He ignored them all, heading straight for the Heart and staring into it thoughtfully.  
"Sora," Mickey tugged on his arm. "Sora!"  
"Hm? Oh, hello Mickey," he answered vaguely, glancing down to see who it was only briefly.  
"Don't you think you should separate the Keyblades again?"  
"No, not yet. There's still something that needs to be done."  
"What?"  
Sora didn't reply. Instead, he looked from the Heart to the blade, then back again.  
"Alex, do you still have the seedlings you took from your isle in the past?" Sora asked suddenly.  
"Aye. Enough to begin a new forest when they grow."  
"I'm going to need them. You'll still have your forest afterwards."  
Reluctantly, he handed them over. "Go careful when ye plant them," he warned.  
Sora nodded almost absently. "I'll be back shortly. Stay here, and away from the stairs."  
He left them, porting directly to the remains of the Ancient Forest Isle. He wandered around, selecting certain places to plant the seedlings, and touching the χ-blade to each of them as he did so. There seemed to be no noticeable effect from it, but he knew better.  
Once all the seedlings were placed, he did not return to the Arcology, but rather to the Site of the Old Arcology.  
After a few moments examining the ruins from afar, he moved to the place where he'd stood before the Heart in the real Arcology, held the χ-blade above his head in both hands, and called out, "Come to me, Kingdom Heart of the Arcology!"  
The earth below trembled, the cracks in the ground glowed red. The pieces of the ruins, drawn by some unseen force, reassembled themselves. Where there had been a basin surrounded by hills, the land rose up to form a single, vast hill with the ruins placed squarely on the top.  
With a loud rumbling, the cracks sealed themselves and dark clouds gathered in the sky from nowhere. They steadily expanded, not outwards but downwards to form a tower of clouds that engulfed him and the ruins below.  
Thunder rolled, and lightning sparked at the top of the tower. Where it passed, the clouds changed from dark to light. They rolled again, this time banishing the clouds to reveal a gleaming marble-white structure in the sunlight.  
The Core of the Arcology formed around Sora, it's Kingdom Heart before him exactly as it had been before he'd left. There were no more strands connecting it to the walls, which like the outside were no longer black, but white.  
The others were all laying on the floor.  
"Is it over?" Kairi asked.  
"Just what did you do, Sora?" Roxas demanded.  
"Look out of the windows," Sora shrugged. "It's not quite finished yet though. I have to get the Heart to it's new home first."  
"What about the Arcology?"  
"It's not going anywhere any more. The power will still be there for it's residents."  
"The Keyblades?" Mickey reminded him.  
"When I'm done," Sora answered. He put his hand to the Heart, and vanished again, this time reappearing on the rooftop of the Arcology, the Kingdom Heart with him.  
As if in response to his thoughts, it created a new strand, tying itself to the Arcology, then rose up above the central point, illuminating the area around it.  
"No more darkness," Sora murmured to himself. "Just light."  
Once more, he returned to the Core, finding no one had left.  
He separated the χ-blade simply by tugging on the handles. With another flash of light, he held the two Kingdom Keys again.  
"Here," he handed one back to Mickey. "I'm finished now."  
"Just what did you do?"  
"Didn't anyone bother to look out the windows?" he asked mildly. "It's quite safe now."  
"Maybe you're forgetting the stairs are out, and some of us have to use them."  
Sora went to the top of the stairs, muttered something, and the pieces reassembled themselves, recreating the original staircase. Like everything else, it was now made of a white stone instead of the black it had been before. He'd added a hand-rail for safety too.  
Before he left, Sora also went to one of the walls, and created a new exit out into the main Arcology.  
"You're welcome to have a look around the new Arcology before you stop by, or even head down the hill into Twilight Town if you want. The Visitor's Entrance is also the exit, but keep your Visitor's passes on you if you leave, or you'll have to wait for the Registry to issue you a new one when you get back."  
"What about you?" Riku asked him.  
"I'm going back to my office to see what the view is like, and see if I can't get some more work done. I'm sure some of you will want to stop by at some point."  
Sora vanished again, but not before Kairi had pounced on him again. She vanished along with him.  
"Guess we better go look and see what he's done then," Mickey decided, leading the rest of them through the new exit.  
Far below, beside the stairs from the basement, two figures seemed to appear. One was Rue, looking troubled. The other was somewhat portly, and though human-shaped, he was clearly not human.  
"What should we tell your boss?" he asked of Rue in a worried tone.  
Rue looked troubled, but answered, "We tell him the truth, of course. He won't like it, but better he hears it direct from us than through others. He can get nasty when people lie to him. What about your boss? Whatever her name was?"  
"Maleficent," Rue was told. "And I guess we tell her the same. Just not yet."  
"She told you to tell her the outcome as soon as it happened," Rue accused. "You're not just going to ignore that, are you Pete?"  
"No, I'm going to delay it a bit. There's no need to hurry, right?"  
"You're forgetting the main plan our bosses have, Pete," Rue sighed. "Time is critical. We already know Roxas is on the trail of our band of rogues – what if he traces them back to her – or worse, Sand?"  
"She ain't gonna like it any more than Sand is..."  
"Would you rather someone else told her? She'd flare even worse then."  
"I guess we tell her sooner then," Pete grudgingly admitted. "We gotta get upstairs to him first though."  
"Leave it to me," Rue told him. "Sand gave me special rights. I'll just port us there."  
Pete drew back slightly, looking a little afraid. Rue gave an exasperated sigh, snatched one of Pete's hands, and then they too vanished.  
For a few moments, all was silent. Then Terra poked his head around the corner of the new exit, glancing down to ensure they'd left.  
"Fascinating conversation," he noted, then hurried after the others.

_Roxas' Office – Floor 196_

Roxas was rarely in his office at the best of times, but given his absence while looking for King Mickey, he felt it only fair to try and take up some of the slack that had built up.  
Unlike Sora's somewhat larger office, his was not personalised. The walls remained a single colour, previously grey, and now like many other things, white. The windows now showed an impressive view of Twilight Town and broad sunlight streaming in.  
Axel burst into the office without bothering to knock. Roxas looked up, unsurprised.  
"What's gone so wrong this time that you've even forgotten your manners, Axel?"  
"There are still Heartless around, Roxas. They haven't disappeared yet."  
"In the Arcology?"  
"No – in any world they can still exist in."  
"That's impossible, Axel. Xemnas is gone now, and his taint on our Kingdom Hearts went with him."  
"Tell that to them. Let me bring some in again, I have to find out why they're still here."  
"Not inside the Arcology – Sora would never allow that after last time. Use a field lab, and this time don't lose it. Take Zexion and Vexen with you."  
"What for?"  
"Zexion knows more than we do, and I don't trust Vexen not to get in trouble again. Does they still have their hearts, by the way?"  
"I think so."  
"All the more reason to take him. I trust him even less now he has one. Where are they, by the way?"  
"I left them with Jamie at the main Registry office. Alex and Terra are with them. I think Jamie wanted to try to persuade a few to join us."  
"Good luck with that," he snorted derisively. "I doubt Vexen would, and Alex... well, Sora's got a little surprise for him. Terra will probably go his own way."  
"And Zexion?"  
"I'm not sure about him. He could go any way."  
There was a knock at the still open door. Roxas leaned over to peer around Axel. It was Alex. He beckoned him in.  
"I don't suppose ye happen to know the way up to Sora's office? Only he's called me, and these floors up here are a bit of a maze."  
"I'll take you," Axel said. "I want to let him know about the Heartless too."  
"Don't forget to thank Sora," Roxas told Alex.  
"What for?"  
"You'll see."  
Roxas almost got back to the stack on the desk as they left, when he noticed another familiar face drop in on him.  
"Paperwork?" Seifer looked amused. "You?"  
"You want to do it?" he asked distastefully, handing a piece to him. "You're more than welcome to it."  
"Oh no, not me my friend. It's all yours."  
"Somehow I thought you'd say that. What brings you all the way up here?"  
"I've heard a little rumour down below, and wanted to get it confirmed."  
"Was Sora too busy?"  
"He and I still don't always get along well. Besides, I got to catch you pretending to work," he smirked.  
"Hey, cut that out! I do more than he does. What rumour?"  
"People are saying we can be ourselves again outside Sora's Arcology."  
"Interesting. I wouldn't know if it's true or not, I never had to worry about it myself."  
"So I hear. Anyway, I'm meant to be working on something for Swordsman, and doesn't like it when people try to skip off before they're finished."  
"You want me to authorise a little trip into town, don't you?" Roxas asked shrewdly.  
"I'm getting too predictable," Seifer laughed. "You'll do it then?"  
"Go ahead, knock yourself out."  
"If it's all the same? I'd rather not. Enjoy your paperwork," he grinned.


	13. Chapter 13

_Reliquary – Floors 190 and 191_

The custodians of the Reliquary had an apparently easy task, merely to keep each artefact in good condition and make a log of any that had been removed, who by and what for.  
Most people weren't allowed into the deeper sections of the Reliquary however, were things were far from easy. Some artefacts had to be treated with extreme care, some couldn't be touched directly, and some few no one was permitted to look upon because of it's effects, which made cleaning them somewhat challenging.  
But in one corner, there was another reason no one was allowed in. This section of the Reliquary was dedicated to armour, weapons and similarly combat-based items – items that were either deemed too unsafe to allow into the Arcology's regular armouries, or had some mystery about them that needed to be solved before anyone could be trusted with them.  
In this section, there was one artefact that stood out among the rest. An armour made of materials unidentified, and a blade in the shape of a key, both in matching blue and white hues. Unlike other armours, this one stood unaided and held the blade tightly, but had otherwise remained completely motionless. Some custodians had come back from their duties claiming to have heard a voice emanate from it, and of those, a handful were said to have tried talking to it, gaining a brief conversation with this voice. Everything it reputedly said was carefully written down and kept with the few other bits of known information about it.  
It spoke of events long past, and seemed to have a need to justify what it had done. It spoke of close friendships, and what it had done for them, of one friend's straying into the darkness, and being set back on the right path, and of the other friend's struggles with his own darker side.  
Most recently, it had spoken of a strange person that had sought to manipulate others to his own ends, deeply involved in the intricacies of the Heart. It called this one 'friend', and said that this friend also called it 'friend'.  
Much of what it said was difficult to comprehend, but the echoing voice seldom explained anything. The short, but rambling speeches it gave offered little in the way of context.  
It had been noted that when the current Grandmaster had first entered the Arcology, it had begun to speak more often, and could be heard more clearly. The reasons for this remained unknown even after his ascension to the position of Grandmaster.  
Lately though, it had remained silent as well as motionless. The most senior custodian, a balding old man with only a few wisps of snowy white hair left, had taken this to be a bad sign. He'd picked out his walking stick, which unbeknownst to anyone else, was actually an artefact in itself. It's powers were limited, serving only to bolster his failing health so he could get around easier.  
His name was Adam. Once ruthless and harsh, since being taken by the Arcology many years before he'd changed a lot. Age had improved him, and now he was the one in charge of the Reliquary, one of the most highly prized positions one could aspire to. It was a great responsibility to have to account for every artefact, every note, and every expedition to retrieve another.  
He entered what had become known as the Forbidden Armoury, and with faint taps from the walking stick he came to the strange armour, stopping before it. It was taller than him, but not by much.  
A chair was created out of nowhere from his reserves of the Arcology's power, and he gratefully sank into it, tapping the stick against his chin thoughtfully. The armour, of course, made no reaction.  
"Nothing to say today, my friend?" he asked in his quiet, creaky voice. "You haven't said anything for a while," he went on after it made no reply. "It's not something we've said or done, is it?"  
There was silence, then at last the familiar echo of the voice spoke again, "They are here."  
"Are they? Which they are we talking about?"  
"My friends are here. I can feel them. They are here, within these walls."  
"You've told us of quite a few of your friends, you know."  
"They are the ones with the blades that are the brothers of my blade. The one who went into darkness, and the one who fought it."  
"Ah, those two friends. I can ask about and see if they can be found if you'd like to see them. You'll have to give me a few details to work with though."  
"The Wind and the Earth," the voice told him.  
"That's not much help," he replied, but the voice said no more.  
He waited for a time in case it changed it's mind, but it seemed it had said all it was willing to divulge, and remained silent.  
With a sigh, Adam got back to his feet, banished the chair he'd created and wandered back. He'd record this of course, but it didn't seem entirely significant. If these two friends were here though, perhaps this incident should be brought to someone's attention.  
Adam was ill at ease outside the Reliquary or his quarters nearby however, and so sent one of the younger custodians scurrying off with the message as soon as he'd returned to his post at the entrance.

_Ancient Forest Isle_

Sora and Alex appeared on the isle in the same spot Jamie had appeared. The footprints left by him were no longer there, and neither were the ones that Sora had left when planting the seedlings.  
Alex drew in a surprised breath.  
"How... be this..."  
"It's real," Sora told him gently. "It's not exactly as it used to be, but the trees are back. Woodland life will return before long."  
Alex stood in awed silence. The golden trees were indeed back, as if they'd never been lost. The sounds of the wind whispering in them, and the feel of the renewed earth underfoot told him louder than any words, he was home.  
"As long as you remain here, the Arcology's Heart will remain protected from any attempts to taint it again," Sora explained. "There's a link between the Forest, you and the Arcology that I can't explain."  
"Ye don't have to explain it," Alex shook his head. "This be perfect. Thank you, Sora."  
"No – thank you. You made it possible to restore the Arcology from it's own darkness."  
"Had I never left, it would never have happened."  
"But it did, and now it's over."  
Alex nodded, took a few steps into his forest, then turned back. "You'n your people feel free to visit whenever ye want. You're always welcome here."  
Sora nodded. "If you ever need anything..."  
"I'll be sure to send word. Ye are just over there, after all," he pointed. Through a gap in the trees, the top of the Arcology and it's Heart could be seen peeking over the horizon.  
Roxas appeared nearby.  
"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"  
"Don't ask me," Sora said. "Ask Alex. It's his forest."  
"So this is what it looks like," he noted. "Would you mind if we stole the Grandmaster back off you for a bit?" he asked Alex.  
"Something wrong again?" Alex asked Roxas curiously.  
"Not wrong. I just had a rather strange message come in from the Reliquary. It seems they have a talking suit of armour that thinks it's friends are in the Arcology. Something like that anyway, I didn't quite understand what it was meant to say. Here," he handed a note to Sora. "See for yourself."  
"Wind and Earth," Sora mused as he read it. "And a keyblade... Terra's name means Earth, maybe he'll know what it means."  
"Terra should be with Axel," Roxas supplied. "I told him to take Vexen and Zexion with him while he investigated the Heartless again. Last I heard, Jamie and Terra had gone with them."  
"Heartless? But there aren't any Heartless left Roxas."  
"Apparently we're wrong. Axel says he's got reports of them still showing up in various worlds."  
The sky seemed to darken slightly, and several familiar sounds came from around. Dark patches appeared on the ground, in mid air, and on the trunks of some trees, and Heartless poured from them before the disappeared.  
"Looks like he wasn't wrong," Sora muttered, calling on his Keyblade. Roxas followed suit, and between them the Heartless fell like newly mown wheat in a short time. Alex scrambled part way up a tree to keep out of their reach and shot arrows at them. He had little effect in comparison to the deadly strokes of the keyblades, but they seemed to be slowed by the storm of arrows dropping down on them.  
"Fun," Roxas noted calmly as he dispatched the last one.  
"What are you planning to do next?" Sora asked him.  
"Whatever I think of first, why?"  
"Lend Axel a hand would you? If we can get rid of the Heartless once and for all, it'd solve a lot of problems."  
"I'll get right on it as soon as I know where they are."  
Sora rolled his eyes and brushed finger tips over his markings.  
"Ansem's Mansion, Twilight Town. Where you went to wake me up in the digital version," he added.  
"I thought that only worked inside the Arcology?"  
"It used to, but since I put it back in it's proper place, it seems to work no matter where anyone is."  
"Useful. I guess I'll drop in on them and see what they're up to."  
"And I'll see what's so special about this bit of armour," Sora added, then glanced up to Alex. "Sorry to disappear on you so soon."  
"It be no worry. Come back when ye have time."  
He and Roxas both disappeared together, headed for the Ansem's mansion. Zexion and Axel appeared to be arguing with each other when they arrived. Terra was staring disconsolately out one window, Jamie was leaning against a nearby wall watching the argument with an amused expression.  
"Vexen went off on his own," Jamie told them. "And they can't decide what to do about it. Axel wants to go looking for him, Zexion thinks he'll turn up on his own now he has a heart."  
"I told Axel to keep on eye on him," Roxas muttered. "What is he thinking of?"  
"Don't worry about him. Personally, I think Zexion's right. Vexen's Heart seems to be giving him some trouble. He's not used to really having feelings."  
"That stands to reason, he's a Nobody. Was a Nobody," Roxas corrected himself. "He should still remember what it was like before though."  
"He does, but for some reason it's not helping."  
Sora left their discussion and joined Terra at the window.  
"You look a bit down."  
"I miss my friends, Sora. Aqua and Ventus... I know, you've got Ventus' Heart, but you and Roxas both resemble him... it's not a nice reminder."  
"You just need something to take your mind off it."  
"And you happen to have something to do it?"  
"Of course. You know your name means 'Earth' right?"  
"Something like that. Someone I met once told me it sounded kinda earthy. I assume that's significant?"  
"It could be. I don't suppose either of your friends would have something to do with Wind, do you?"  
"Ven used to be pretty good with Wind magic. Aqua's speciality was water, and mine was earth. Where are you going with this, Sora? Out with it."  
"Up in the Reliquary, they've got a strange suit of armour that apparently talks to them. Not long ago, it was reported to have said that it's friends were in the Arcology." He picked out the note Roxas had given him. "Here it is. The exact words it used were 'They are the ones with the blades that are the brothers of my blade. The one who went into darkness, and the one who fought it,' and when asked for more details, all it would say was 'The Wind and the Earth'. It could mean you and Ventus."  
"It fits. Sounds like Aqua to me. Blue armour?"  
"I wouldn't know, I haven't seen it myself. I was thinking since I've got Ventus' Heart, maybe you and I should pay a visit to it and see."  
"Sound reasoning. When do we leave?"  
"Oh, as soon as I port us there," Sora answered in an offhand tone.


	14. Chapter 14

_The Dark Arcology  
Reliquary_

Adam glanced up, noting the arrival of two strangers.  
"We do thank people for _not_ porting directly here," he told them in a pained tone. "Some of the artefacts are sensitive to it."  
"Sorry," one of them apologised. "I wasn't aware of that. I got a message from you about a talking suit of armour?"  
"And you are?"  
One wrist was presented, immediately identifying him to be none other than the Grandmaster himself.  
He gestured to his companion, "He's not of the Arcology, but he's with me."  
Adam tapped his chin, then turned to the custodian beside him.  
"Who did I tell you to give my message to?"  
"You... didn't say."  
"So who did you give it to?"  
"My First, Sand."  
"Perhaps Sand passed it on to Roxas," Sora suggested.  
"Perhaps," Adam replied, turning back to him. "But he sent his own people to examine it. They signed the armour out not long ago."  
"And you let them?"  
"They told me they believed they could find out more about it. Information on it is scarce, so I saw no reason to disallow them. It is their responsibility if something happens to it while in their care."  
"How convenient." Sora's tone clearly indicated his scepticism.  
"You think there's something fishy going on?" his companion asked.  
"Doesn't it seem like that? The message takes a detour on it's way up to Roxas, then just when we stop by to investigate, it 'happens' to have been removed before we get here."  
"This Sand of yours, he's a First, right?"  
Sora nodded, "A friend at that. He's helped more than once in the past."  
"So maybe he got word somehow, and took it out for us?"  
"Unlikely. Only Jamie could have done that, and he was there with us all along. Besides..." he turned to Adam. "When was it checked out?"  
"About an hour ago," he answered. "I have the complete history of the artefact on record."  
"Where was it found?" Sora's companion asked suddenly.  
"Do we have time for this Terra?" Sora asked him.  
"I'm starting to have some suspicions of my own, Sora. Something doesn't quite seem right to me. Where was it found?" he repeated.  
Adam examined the records, tracing it's history. "The Chamber of Repose, Castle of Radiant Garden. It was previously inaccessible, but following the destruction of the castle in the World that Never Was an expedition was finally able to gain access to retrieve it."  
"Who retrieved it?" Terra pressed. "Who was on that expedition?"  
"Three persons," Adam read. "Two fifth-ranks and a first rank. Records say... they were known as Sand, Merle and Rue."  
"Merle is Sand's ex-husband, and Rue's been Sand's first rank for some time," Sora told Terra. "This must have happened while they were still together, but before either of them became a First."  
Terra didn't seemed finished yet. "When did they become Firsts?" he asked next.  
"The Registry will have that information. We'll stop by and ask them, but it's bound to be before I came to the Arcology. They were both Firsts when I got here. Are you sure this is relevant Terra?"  
"This Sand of yours just took it out, Sora. He's the one who retrieved it, and now he's got it back to find out something about it – but why would he wait until now to do that? What's changed since Aqua's armour arrived here?"  
"Who is Aqua?" Adam asked curiously, nudging the custodian beside him. He started taking down what was being said.  
"A friend of mine. If I'm right, then it's her Keyblade and her Armour. I don't suppose you have an image of it?"  
"Of course. Most artefacts do, so people can see them safely." He made a face and continued, "Some of them don't because the image is just as dangerous as the real thing, and some of them are more powerful in an image. Here it is." He handed them a small card. Terra glanced at it, then handed it back.  
"That's definitely hers, I'd recognise it anywhere. Sora, we have to find out what your Sand is doing with it."  
Sora nodded, touched on his markings, then nodded again, "Fifth floor. Thank you for your help," he told Adam, put a hand on Terra's shoulder, then hesitated. "Safe to port out?"  
"Normally no," Adam told him. "But in the circumstances, I'll make an exception."  
"You're too kind," he murmured, vanishing.  
"Did you get all that?" he asked the custodian beside him.  
"All of it."  
"Run down to the Records and get everything you can on this Aqua person. Take a copy of our notes with you, you might need them to find the right person. This may be just what we need to get more information about the armour."

_Fifth floor  
Desert Climate Simulation_

In all the Simulation, there was only one safe haven from the perpetually howling sandstorm. The normal entrances to this floor had been disabled and the maintenance crews conveniently forgot to show up to fix this. Officially, this complex was a research centre dedicated to experiments in a desert climate. Unofficially, it held far more.  
Rue appeared in the only chamber where porting was permitted, and quietly made his way through the main research rooms to what appeared to be no more than a cleaner's closet. A hidden door led him down some stairs to a new area.  
Sand was there, along with Seifer, a stranger in mismatched clothing just this side of shabby, and a suit of armour.  
The stranger was not familiar to him, but the green gemstone hanging around his neck proclaimed him to be the current representative of Sand's Rogues.  
Conversation broke off as Rue entered, and eyes turned to him.  
"What news, Rue?" Sand asked him.  
"Roxas is completely distracted by the continued existance of the Heartless, Master," he reported.  
"But it seems Sora is now looking for that," he pointed at the armour. "He has the revived Terra with him."  
"Inconvenient."  
"We can arrange for an accident to befall him," the stranger suggested.  
"No. We know what happened last time he stumbled in on one of your accidents. We can only hope your people don't talk."  
"I'll see if I can distract him," Seifer told him. "Roxas crying for help should turn the trick."  
"How do you plan to achieve it?"  
"Nothing simpler. There are Heartless around, Sora proved that we can control them. I'll just take control of a bunch of them and send them off to visit Roxas."  
"It won't work," Rue told him. "Sora removed the dark taint on our Kingdom Hearts. Our power doesn't count any longer."  
"I think it's time we called in our allies to help," Sand mused. "Rue, you know how to contact her. You know what to tell her?"  
"That we need a distraction loud enough to send Sora running, Master."  
Sand nodded then turned to Seifer. "Are you sure Swordsman won't suspect anything?"  
"Completely. I told him Roxas cleared me to stop by Twilight Town. I've no intention of going there, but it gives me some time before I have to return to what I was doing for him."  
"Good. I want you to go with our guest here to his friends. Their last encounter with Sora and Roxas proved that they're dreadfully unprepared to meet either of them. You've had training under Swordsman, and you know their tactics. Make the most of the time to bring them up to scratch. As soon as they're ready, having them come down here. If the distraction isn't enough, we'll need something to delay Sora."  
"Do you have enough room for us?" the stranger asked. "There are a lot of us."  
"This place is bigger than it looks. I've taken a part of the third and fourth floors as expansions to this area. They can't be accessed from the outside, so there's no risk of intrusion there."  
"I believe you may be wrong Master. After Sora confronted Xemnas, he created a new passage from the Core to the main Arcology," Rue pointed out.  
"I'm aware of that, but I don't believe he'll think of it. We'll move deeper into here. Rue, you may port directly into and out of any the lower parts of this facility as needed. Now go to work everyone."  
Sora and Terra appeared outside the facility inside the dust storm. Terra snapped something that was lost in the howling, and the storm abated around them.  
"Thanks," Sora coughed.  
"Never say it isn't helpful to have someone skilled in Earth magic. Why do you have an indoor sandstorm?"  
"Your guess is as good as mine this time. I don't know everything about my Arcology."  
"Well you're helpful."  
"Be nice. There's something ahead. There are people there, at least."  
"You might want to port us directly there. I can't hold off this storm forever."  
Sora nodded, concentrated, and their view blurred into the inside of a facility. The howling lessened now they were inside, but it was not cut out entirely.  
There was no one around here. It was a small circular chamber with a single corridor.  
Terra glanced at the lone door at the end, then at Sora.  
"Don't look at me," he shrugged. "I didn't even know this was here."  
They headed down the corridor. To one side were thick windows showing the storm outside.  
The door opened into a much larger room filled with computer stations and people working them. Sand stood in the middle apparently examining a terminal, but glanced up as they entered.  
"Well, isn't this a surprise? What brings you down here, Grandmaster?"  
"Why did you remove the armour, Sand?"  
"Armour? What armour would that be?"  
"The one you received a message about that was meant to reach me instead."  
"Oh, that armour. I didn't give any order to remove it."  
"The Reliquary's records say otherwise."  
"Strange. Perhaps someone removed it claiming to have my authorization. Thanks for letting me know. I'll look into it."  
"Do you mind if I do it for you?"  
"Oh, I wouldn't want to pile more work on you, Sora. I know how much you dislike it. Just leave it to me, I'll have it handled in no time."  
"I'm not worried about who did it, Sand. It's the armour I'm after."  
"I could launch an investigation for you," he suggested. "I don't have anything to go on though, except that note, and you've got that. I don't suppose I could steal it off you?"  
"I left it in my office," Sora told him. Terra glanced at him curiously, but said nothing. "You've got a good memory though. I'm sure you don't need it."  
Sand's face flickered slightly, but he covered quickly. "True. Well, I'll look into things, but I don't think I'll find out anything until I find out who removed it."  
Their expressions locked, neither one showing anything out of the ordinary. Sora relented first.  
"Keep me posted, Sand. If I don't hear from you I'll assume something's happened to you, and I'll take personal control of the investigation."  
"Of course, Sora. You can count on me."  
"I'm sure," he muttered unconvincingly as he and Terra turned away, then vanished, ported by Sora to his office.  
"Why did you lie to him about the note?" Terra asked him.  
"I didn't want him to take it back. Didn't anything seem out of place to you?"  
"He didn't exactly seem surprised to see us, or by your questions."  
"Exactly. He's right, I might dislike work, but if I take a personal interest in something I'll put up with it and he knows that – but he insisted on keeping me away from it. Something isn't right."  
"So what are you going to do?"  
Sora didn't answer, instead arranging several bits of work on his desk, then wrote something on a blank sheet and put it aside with the note on it, then nodded, satisfied.  
"That should do it."  
"That was significant?"  
"It's a trap. Sand seemed to have an interest in keeping the note, even though he doesn't need it. So now I've made it so I can track it."  
"And the notes you wrote on the other sheet of paper with it?"  
"Misinformation. I suspect he'll come and try to take it. If he does, he'll find that too, and think we know more than we actually do. It'll send him off to a place I've been to that should keep him out of trouble."  
"Where?"  
"Castle Oblivion. It used to be owned by Organization XIII, but with their downfall it's empty again. They used it to try to manipulate me, but failed. He can look there all he wants, he'll never find anything – especially not Aqua herself. Now we've baited our trap, we just have to see if he takes the bait."


	15. Chapter 15

_Castle Oblivion_

Castle Oblivion's many rooms remained a mystery to it's new inhabitants, seemingly influenced by memories, whether consciously or not. It seemed the Organization's claim that the cards were a part of the castle had been false, as was it's effect of losing one's memories as one progressed. Instead, certain parts of the floors changed in response to memories.  
The card system had never been more than a way to influence the choices. When the Organization controlled it, Sora had been given a card for Traverse Town – and so Sora expected to see Traverse Town, thus causing the floor to be formed from his memories of it.  
The Organization was gone however, and their cards and influences over the Castle gone.  
Pete entered the room now being used as their base of operations.  
"What is it now, Pete?" someone snapped.  
"Rue's here again. He says he has word from Sand."  
"Oh, very well. Send him in."  
"I'm already here, Maleficent," Rue said. "Sand needs some of your Heartless to distract Sora. It doesn't matter where or how, just as long as they get and keep his attention."  
"He doesn't give orders to me, boy. I decide what my Heartless do."  
"Are you forgetting the terms of the agreement? We've kept up our end. Now we're expecting you to return the favour."  
"Very well," Maleficent muttered, finally coming into view. "How do I look, Pete?"  
She looked no different to normal, but Pete seemed oblivious. "Much more evil," he told her.  
"Excellent. Tell your Sand that I'll handle it. Oh... and tell him I think I know how to find the Chamber of Waking he was so interested in."

_The Dark Arcology  
Grandmaster's Office_

Sora waited patiently. Sand was on his way, just as he'd expected. Terra had headed below to find King, a friend of Sora's from before he'd ascended to the top rank. King would be able to help sort out another annoyance of the Arcology for him that was unrelated, but he'd put it off for too long.  
Sure enough, there was a knock at the door. Sora quickly pretended to be interested in one of the various reports he'd been sent, instead of watching his desk.  
"Come on in," he called, deliberately sounding absent.  
Sand strolled calmly up and took the seldom-used seat on the other side of the desk. Most people preferred to stand, or use one of the couches still scattered around from Mickey's visit.  
"Am I bothering you?" Sand asked, looking amused.  
"Just the normal burdens of running the place. What's bothering you?"  
"I was wondering about that note."  
"Note?" he looked blankly away from the report, staring at the wall as if thinking, then turned back and gestured vaguely at the desk. "It's over there, on the corner. I've finished with it."  
Sora watched surreptitiously. The 'report' he held was actually just a plain sheet of paper, altered just slightly by his power to allow him to see what Sand was up to.  
Sand reached for the small note, glanced at it, and then at the paper underneath that had his falsified information on. He looked up at Sora, who appeared to not to see him at all, then quietly stole the paper and hid it away. Sora concealed a smile.  
"Thanks. I'm afraid there's no word on the missing armour yet, by the way."  
"Hm. I wonder who could have taken it, and why." Very suddenly, he looked over at Sand with a self-satisfied expression and asked, "I don't suppose you happen to know more than you're telling me, my friend?"  
If Sand was taken off guard, he hid it extremely well, and managed quite calmly to answer, "As soon as I know anything new, I'll tell you."  
"You do that. You can go now." Sand paused, looking back over his shoulder on his way out, so Sora firmly added, "Right now, Sand. Go."  
Looking slightly puzzled, he finally left. Sora's simple trap had worked.  
Not long after, Terra returned with King and Roxas in tow. King, as usual, looked distinctly uncomfortable outside his usual comfort zones of his room, the rooms given over to his various experiments and such, or Danny's café. He was a bit of a geek, and as another friend had once teased him over, his social skills were sometimes somewhat lacking. Catch him on his home ground though and it was near impossible to stop him going on about whatever he was working on now.  
"What are you up to this time, Sora?" Roxas asked. "I got some kind of garbled report about Sand not being honest and you sending him off on a wild goose chase."  
"Sand's responsible for taking the armour before we got to it, and isn't admitting it. He got that note you gave me before you did, and he stopped by just now to take it back off me."  
"Did he take the bait?" Terra asked eagerly, his eyes alight.  
"Naturally. He's probably already off to go wandering around aimlessly."  
"Bait?" Roxas asked, curious.  
"Sora left a second note that would send Sand off on that wild goose chase you mentioned," Terra explained. "We knew that if he took it as well, it meant that he does have the armour or at least knows more than he's telling us."  
"Where are you sending him?"  
"Castle Oblivion," Sora shrugged.  
"Wait. How do you know about that place? You weren't meant to be able to remember it."  
"You had echoes of my memories of it, and while I was the Nobody, I got them back off you. That and a few of your own, by the way."  
"Oh?"  
"Did you _really_ faint when you got close to it?"  
"It wasn't _my_ idea. It was because you were there."  
"I know. Anyway, he's either on his way, or sending people on their way to investigate the castle, which should keep him nice and busy for a while before he realizes he's been duped. It's a fairly big place, as I recall."  
"Twelve floors above ground, twelve below," Roxas supplied. "And each floor changes based on memories, making it difficult to get through."  
"I know, I went through it, remember? It'll give us time to get a lead on him."  
"And do what, Sora?" Terra asked. "We don't have any idea where to look for Aqua herself."  
"Actually, that's not entirely true," King murmured. Up until now he'd remained somewhat apart from the others, examining a book from one of the many bookcases. "Roxas knows where she is."  
Roxas blinked, "I do?"  
"Either you or your intelligence service you set up."  
"What's this?" Sora asked now.  
"I really wish you hadn't told him about that, King," Roxas said in a pained tone. "I wouldn't have had to bother him with it otherwise."  
King shrugged. "It's useful. Why hide it?" He returned the book as he said it, then to Sora, "He took a load of people that had nothing to do, and set them to work rooting out as much information as they could, from anywhere they could. The Arcology's various Firsts and above all gather information themselves, but it takes time to reach anyone useful. I gave Roxas some help in creating a centralized place to collect it, and now it's turned into an operation that works through just about everyone in the Arcology, whether inside or out. There's almost nothing that won't find it's way there – eventually."  
"Some operation," Terra noted.  
"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Sora demanded.  
"It wasn't your concern. You're always going off to do things, and never thinking to look up anything about it beforehand. This way you go rushing off, I'll find out what I can from my archives, and tell you as if I've discovered it personally."  
"You just wanted the credit for yourself."  
"Why not?"  
Sora let that pass. "So where is Aqua then?"  
"I'll have to go look it up."  
"You do that. Would you go with him Terra? I'd like to hear from you just what this operation of his looks like."  
"Sora!"  
"I was going to find out sooner or later. This way you don't have me personally getting in the way. Besides, I've got other things to do."  
"Why do I even try to keep things secret from you?" Roxas muttered as he left.  
King glanced after them, then asked, "Just how do you know so much about the Arcology?"  
"I cheat," Sora replied. "I don't really know, but it never hurts to pretend I do. Besides, who's going to question me? I'm the Grandmaster, it's my Arcology, and I'll do it any way I want. Which is what I wanted you for, by the way."  
"You know I don't like leaving the Arcology."  
"Who said anything about that? This is right in your home territory, King. Records and Registry offices have been complaining about lack of efficiancy again, the Internal Security staff say they need better ways to raise the alarm if something comes up, and I need a better way to deal with all this paper than having it all over my desk."  
"I know exactly what you mean now. You want me to put a computer network in place."  
"Pretty much. I can't see why it hasn't been done already."  
"Merle did one for us when she was our First, just before you joined. It was meant to be a trial run, but no one ever used it. It wasn't trusted, because it meant anyone could lay their hands on almost any information very quickly, and at the time Firsts were more secretive about things."  
"Well, times have changed. I want you to lead the entire thing. Mostly because I haven't a clue, and you're the most knowledgeable person I trust."  
"There's others who know more than me."  
"If you trust them, then I'll trust your judgement, but I still want you in charge. Humour me, King. If you need to pull someone in, go ahead with it."  
"Not everyone will like it," King warned. "Some people prefer it this way."  
"I don't like it. I'm not good with computers, and I admit it. But it'll stop the complaints from down below, and it'll mean I can steal information from Roxas' operation without him ever knowing about it. How long?"  
"Can't say for sure, Sora. There's too much I don't know."  
"What would you need?"  
"Complete plans of the Arcology, every floor and it's layout, details of the current systems in place – I can get it all through Roxas."  
"As soon as you do know, tell me?"  
"Of course. Would you mind if I borrowed your library here at some point, by the way?"  
"I guess. I don't really pay much attention to it, to be honest. Sephiroth, or someone before him, collected them all."  
"Thanks. I'll get on with things."  
He paused on the way out and turned back to Sora.  
"There's one problem with this," he said.  
"What's that?"  
"If any part of this network you want stops working, people won't be able to do their work."  
"King," Sora smiled. "I hate paperwork, whether on paper or on a computer. If it stops working, it's going to be a good thing for me, not a bad thing."  
King laughed, understanding, then left.


	16. Chapter 16

_Floor 3 – Roxas' Intelligence Service  
Central Office_

Gone were the old dust-filled rooms and cells that used to occupy these floors, and with them went the various means used to coerce people into doing what the Arcology wanted. Filling it now was a vast filing operation where information came, was sorted, categorised and archived. Various other departments had taken note already and were supplying information after they found they wouldn't get anything if they didn't contribute anything.  
What had previously been the Core of the Arcology was now split into three separate floors. The lower two had been given over to the servers and other such equipment that kept their digital archives alive, while the last was a collection of offices and rooms to find information from.  
Terra had protested about not being allowed to use them himself.  
"You don't know what you're looking for, or how it works," Roxas had told him bluntly. "I helped design this system, so I know where to go."  
Roxas muttered while he searched. It seemed to irritate him frequently.  
"I thought you knew how it worked?"  
"It's still in the test phase," Roxas snapped. "It's not meant to work properly yet."  
"Of course not. It makes perfect sense not to test things before you use them."  
"Well, if King hadn't told Sora, there would have been time," he muttered. "I found what you're after anyway."  
"And?"  
"It's logged here. Seen in the Land of Departure." He frowned. "I've never heard of that place before." Then he read more. "Oh, I see. She turned it into what's now Castle Oblivion, left something there, and then the trail goes cold for a bit. She's next seen at the Dark Meridian in the presence of DiZ-"  
"Who?"  
"Darkness in Zero, I think. DiZ for short. They talk about something, and then apparently she faded out."  
"So you have no idea where she is then."  
"I didn't say that."  
"What comes next then?"  
Roxas thought for a few moments, reading something, then turned back to him.  
"What do you believe comes after life, Terra?"  
"I've never really thought about it. Why?"  
"Does the word 'Necropolis' mean anything to you?"  
"No. What's this about Roxas? Stop beating about the bush."  
"'Necro' meaning dead, and 'polis', an ancient word for city..."  
"City of the Dead. Seriously?"  
"It's worth a try. There's nothing left on Aqua, and this page on the Necropolis says that 'souls which have no other place to go or no body to return to will find their way to it's streets in time'. I'd say it's as good a place as any other to look."  
"You go. I'll bring Sora."  
"Don't bother. He wouldn't go anywhere near it. He's afraid of undead in any form. Since his royal pain in the neck has decided to tack you to my back, you might as well come along."  
"Oh, joy. Just what I always wanted. A day out with the boss's subordinate."  
"Hey! Cut that out or..."  
"Or what? I'm not part of the Arcology, remember?"  
Roxas glowered at him for a moment, then appeared to give up, returning to the computer.  
"Let me find out how to get there, then I'm dragging you along with me."  
A few moments more research on the system, and he apparently had all he needed to know, and got up to leave, when it made a system of beeps at him that sounded like an alarm sequence.  
"Never heard that one before," Roxas muttered, glancing back.  
"Sora!" A voice came from it. "Wait. No. You're not Sora."  
"I'm Roxas. Do I know you?"  
"I don't believe so. You know Sora?"  
"We're... related. Who are you, and how did you gain access to my system?"  
"It was an emergency. I had to contact Sora. I've been hacking my way from system to system to try to find him. I'm Tron."  
"Tron..." Roxas glanced away for a moment, looking vaguely off into empty space, then nodded and looked back. "I know of you now. What's the emergency?"  
"Heartless have attacked the system I reside in again. The Master Control Program has been recompiled and reactivated, and Sark along with it. You have to get word to him! I'm running for my life here, and I don't-"  
"What happened?" Terra asked.  
"Cut off. Disconnected at the source, I think."  
"Sora?"  
"I'll tell him, then we'll go to the Necropolis."  
"Shouldn't I go with him?"  
"You're not getting out of coming with me that easily, Terra. Besides, if I went alone I'd have no one to talk to but the dead, and they probably don't make good conversation."

_Space Paranoids  
Somewhere in the Dataspace_

Tron ducked, as the program shot at him again, flinging the Identity Card back at it. The program dodged it too easily, re-targeting him. It looked the same as the hostile programs from last time, but damn was it quicker!  
A pair of Surveillance Robot Heartless watched him pass impassively. He'd pay for that before long, he knew it. Every time he'd passed them so far, Soldier Heartless were sure to follow.  
He rounded a corner, snatching the Card back out of the air as it returned. It was only as he turned back he realised it was a dead end.  
Oddly, the program and Heartless stopped once he was cornered. Moments later the explanation formed before him as Sark.  
"What did you hope to gain by warning someone, Tron?"  
He didn't answer. He didn't have to. The wall nearby shimmered white, then the familiar – no, the _almost_ familiar form of Sora stepped through. There were differences to last time though. The circuits over him, instead of glowing blue blazed forth stronger in a more purple tone. Not all the armour remained grey, or blue, in parts it was white, in others it was darkest black. On his back, the circuits traced a curious pattern, almost like that of a tower building.  
Sora's expression was calmly impassive as he took in the scene. He glanced once at Tron, looked him over, then looked toward the amassed Heartless behind Sark, and the hovering hostile program.  
Sark, though his own expression hadn't changed, seemed left without words.  
Sora stared him down for a few moments, then said, "If you have any wish to remain intact, you'll stop what you're doing. I don't expect you to do as I say, of course, but it'll be easier on you."  
"Forget it," Sark replied.  
"Somehow I thought you'd see it that way."  
Tron was not prepared for what happened next. The Sora he knew fought with the Keyblade, and had his friends to back him up. He wouldn't leave them behind, and the only other way he fought was with a little magic once in a while.  
This was not what Sora did, however. He raised one hand, palm facing the hostile program. With an almighty crashing sound, lightning sparked from it to the program, not once, but many times until it derezzed.  
"The next one will be aimed at you," Sora told Sark.  
Sark didn't stick around. He just waved a hand to beckon the Heartless onward, then vanished.  
Sora sighed, then held out the other palm instead. This time, shards of ice formed around it and pelted the crowd of Heartless mercilessly. In moments, there wasn't a single one left.  
Finally, he turned back to Tron. "You're unharmed?" he asked simply.  
"Thanks to you. How did you do that?"  
"I've picked up a few new skills since the last time I stopped by. Looks like it altered my appearance a bit too. Interesting."  
"Donald? And Goofy?"  
"Hm? Oh, they're fine. I got some message from Roxas about the Sark and the Master Control Program being back, so I located you, saw you in trouble and helped out. What happened to you, Tron? You used to be better than that, I'm sure."  
"They're quicker, more powerful than last time," he shook his head. "I couldn't handle them."  
"No matter. Why don't we go teach the two of them a lesson again?"  
"Just like old times," Tron agreed.

_The Necropolis_

Roxas had determined that the Necropolis was, in actual fact, a completely separate world that neither he or Sora had ever been to, or had reason to go to. It did not encompass all of the world, the world seemed to encompass it in a raging blizzard that obscured vision, and prevented just anyone from finding their way to the gates of the Necropolis.  
"You could have warned me it was going to be snowing!" Terra shouted over the howling wind after they appeared.  
"I didn't know it was going to be snowing!" Roxas shouted back.  
"How are you going to find the way in all this?"  
"Badly! Don't go anywhere!"  
Roxas stumbled into view, peered at Terra for a few moments to make sure it was him, then created a rope out of thin air and tied it around each of them.  
"At least now we won't get separated!" he explained.  
"Yeah, but we're still lost!"  
Roxas waved one hand dismissively and set off into the storm, having to lean forward into it to make any headway because of the wind's strength.  
Terra couldn't make out the words, but he could tell Roxas was saying something to himself as they went along.

_Castle Oblivion  
Floor 2_

Sand stalked through what appeared to be the Arcology. It was wrong though, before Sora had come to it, and people he met only seemed to remember certain things if specifically told about them.  
It had taken him some time, and most of the previous floor, to figure out how to get around. The doors seemed to respond to memories, creating false route, linking areas of the Arcology to areas that they shouldn't have been linked to.  
He glanced into rooms as he passed, trying to keep his thoughts under control as he did so in case they too affected things. In one room, he found Rue.  
"What are you doing here?" he asked, trying to keep irritability out of his voice.  
"Master?" Rue answered, turning to see him with surprise. "But this is my room, Master. Is there something wrong?"  
"I thought- Never mind."  
"You thought he was me," Rue's voice came, this time from behind him. "I could ask you what you're doing here too, Master Sand."  
Sand looked from one Rue to the other, then gave up. "I'm confused. Rue- I mean- one of you just explain it to me.  
The second Rue looked sympathetic, and extended his hand. "Come with me then, and I'll explain."  
Sand hesitated, but took it. He recognised the feeling of being ported, and they came out in one of the grey chambers that appeared in the castle.  
"This is Castle Oblivion," Rue explained to him. "It is where our ally, Maleficent, now calls home. The floors react to the memories of those who pass through. But what are you doing here?"  
"This," he said simply, not trusting himself to say any more. He handed Rue the note he'd stolen from Sora's desk.  
Rue glanced at it, then shook his head. "She'd know if Aqua was here. We think we've found the Chamber of Waking, but we can't be certain. Every time anyone gets close to where we think it is, either it moves, or we just happen to get lost."  
"Sounds like deception in action. My speciality. You're sure this is faked?"  
"Absolutely, Master. I suspect Sora tricked you."  
Sand shook his head. "What for? He suspects we have her armour, but doesn't have any idea what we're doing. Why would he try to misdirect our search for Aqua herself, if he doesn't know we're looking?"  
"Perhaps he knows more than we realize?"  
"I don't know. Since I'm here, I think I'll lend a hand with the Chamber. You go on back to the Arcology. See if you can find out just how much Sora knows."  
"At once, Master."  
"Rue!" he called him back. "Would you stop with the Master already?"  
"It's a habit," he shrugged, and vanished.


	17. Chapter 17

_Ansem's Mansion_

Jamie held a struggling Soldier Heartless against one wall. Sora had stopped by to drop a few in for them not long ago. Most had been moved somewhere safer, but this was their current subject.  
Vexen, having returned from his excursion, was reluctantly working with Zexion on studying it. Axel had left them alone again.  
"It's being controlled," Zexion murmured.  
"You noticed," Vexen answered. "But what is it doing here still?"  
"If I knew that, we wouldn't have to be here."  
The Soldier struggled again, trying to reach Jamie desperately. It fell just short of the reach it needed, then it kicked him solidly between the legs.  
Jamie didn't let go despite giving way slightly. Instead the Soldier was held in the air by it's neck and thrown against another wall.  
"Do that again and I'll break your legs," he told it. It stopped struggling again.  
"That's truly uncanny," Vexen commented. "You can't break a Heartless' legs, but it acts as if he can."  
"Would you mind getting on with it? I'd rather not have to put up with that again."  
"I don't think you've got anything to worry about. It paid attention to what you said."  
"Yeah, that means it might have heard what you said."  
"Vexen," Zexion said then. "Come here and tell me what this looks like to you."  
Jamie tried to look over his shoulder to see, but the Solder struggled again. This time, he caught the kick before it landed, and snapped the leg back against itself. It seemed to feel pain from it, struggling even more, but eventually gave in again.  
"A connection to him?" he heard Vexen say. "But what?"  
"To who?" Jamie asked.  
"You," the reply came from both of them.  
"What kind?"  
"Do you remember being turned into a Nobody?" Zexion asked him  
"No, why?"  
"That explains it. I think he's the one that took your Heart."  
"Wait. If he's got my Heart, who's Heart have I got?"  
"You don't have one. You pull off a pretty convincing act of having them."  
"So how am I meant to get my Heart back?"  
"Same way Sora restored those Heartless created when he attacked Twilight Town. I think I can improve on it though. Don't let go of that Heartless yet. We'll need him."

_The Necropolis  
Main Gates_

Despite the poor visibility, the structure seemed too large not to be seen. It rose high above them and faded into the snow, just as it did to either side. It was either the outside of a huge building, or a very large wall.  
The presence of the gates, large enough to rival those in the Arcology that lead to where the Council met, lent weight to it being a wall. They were made of a strange blue metal and were totally unadorned. The only evidence of being doors, and not just a couple of solid chunks of metals, was a single keyhole, far out of reach. Roxas stared at it for several minutes, then dragged Terra back away from the door until it was only barely visible again.  
He pulled out one of his keyblades, aimed it where he judged the keyhole to be, and let loose a single beam of white light from it.  
For a few moments, nothing seemed to happen. Then the storm subsided between them and the gates, and only in that area. It still howled around outside, but the sound seemed not to be able to reach them.  
"Is that it?" Terra asked, not needing to shout now. "You did all that to get rid of some snow?"  
As if to answer, there was a booming rumble, and the gates ponderously swung open to reveal a huge hall, leading to a second gate. Even though the gates clearly protected it, the ground inside this hall was still covered in snow.  
"No," Roxas said, dissolving the rope now it wasn't needed. "_That_ is it. Come on. I don't get the feeling it'll stay open forever."  
"Show off," Terra muttered.  
Once through the gates and past their swinging reach, they closed again. In moments, the sound of the storm could be heard on the other side again.  
The brief darkness the hall left them in was just that; brief. The gates they'd seen at the other end, made from the same materials, now also swung open.  
It opened onto a wide street, buildings lining either side. The storm seemed not to reach here, though it was still snowing lightly, coating everything in a fine white film. Ghostly figures seemed to be only faintly visible with only a mantle of snow revealing their presence.  
Some could be seen clearer than others, but not all of them seemed capable of holding their form, appearing as vaguely human blobs.  
Not all of them were human. Some of them were animals of various kinds, others neither of them could put a name to.  
All of them went about their business without even the slightest glance at the two living souls among them.  
It was not quite silent, the sound of their passing or conversations were faint, but there.  
Roxas attempted to stop one passing shade by taking hold of it's shoulder, but it slipped through his hands. The shade paid him no attention at all.  
Terra took a more direct approach. He stopped in the path of a different ghost, and simply said, "Stop."  
"How rude," a faint voice seemed to say. "Can't you see I'm busy?"  
"I can barely see you at all."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"He doesn't know he's dead," Roxas told him. "I doubt any of them do."  
"Dead?" the ghost echoed. "I'm quite alive thank you."  
"Never mind. We're looking for a friend of ours, Aqua. Can you help us?"  
"No," it answered shortly. "I can't." It made it's way around Terra and continued on as if nothing had happened.  
"And it calls me rude."  
"Weren't you?"  
"It worked, didn't it? We should split up and ask about. We'll cover more ground that way."  
"I don't think so. You and I don't have any way to keep in touch, and we have no idea what else is hiding here."  
"You know something? I think you're afraid of the undead too unless you got someone else around."  
"Cut it out. I'm not Sora."  
"Oh yeah? You two aren't all that different."  
Roxas almost replied, but was interrupted by another faint voice. It merely said, "Sora..."  
Both looked about for the source, but none could be seen. Those few that could be seen still paid no attention.  
"Sora," it sounded again, clearer. "You gave me hope..."  
Roxas and Terra shared a look.  
"Hope for the light to come back," the voice continued, becoming even clearer still. It was unmistakably a girl's voice.  
"Why didn't you come, Sora? Why did the light never come back?"  
Terra's eyes widened, then he set off into the Necropolis, as if he knew where to go. Roxas hurried after him, not saying anything in case the voice had more to say.  
"Why, Sora?" Louder now. "Why did he tell me about you? Why did you turn your back on me?"  
The sky darkened, and the snow started to come down heavier. Their breath began to steam less in the frigid air, and the various shades and ghosts started to clear the streets. Those that could still be seen wore expressions of terror.  
"Why?" it was almost a shout. "I had hope, and you destroyed that hope!"  
Terra stopped in what appeared to be a market. The stalls were empty, seeming as if they'd never been used. The canopies over them dipped with the snow on the top. A few had given way to the weight of the snow and torn, dumping the snow over the stall beneath.  
"You could have done something, but you didn't," the voice went on accusingly. "He told me you'd done so much, so why didn't you do anything about me, Sora?"  
"Because he didn't know about you, Aqua," Terra said, at least identifying the speaker.  
The snow fell heavier still giving way to a short, painful shower of hailstones before it became rain.  
The storm above the Necropolis could be seen clearer through the rain, a mass of dark clouds that stretched as far as could be seen.  
The rain grew heavier still, soaking both of them. Roxas made to take cover, but Terra held him back.  
"No. She'd see it as a sign of weakness. A chance to attack. Stand your ground."  
"The light never came, Sora!" Aqua's voice cut through the sound of the weather, and the rumbles that indicated thunder was on the way. "You never came!"  
There was another rumble, a flash of lightning disturbingly close to them, and a figure appeared. It was not among the dead, or if it was it was surprisingly clear.  
Roxas recognised the garb – an Organization robe – but not the wearer. Her hair was similar to Zexion's, but it was darker and didn't cover any part of her face. The eyes matched it for colour, but did nothing to soften the harsh expression she wore.  
In one hand, there was a blue Keyblade.  
"Stop this, Aqua," Terra spoke directly to her. "We're here to take you back."  
"Back! Back to what? There's nothing left there for me now."  
"Open your eyes, Aqua. Just who do you think you're talking to?"  
"You're dead. Otherwise you wouldn't be here."  
"I'm not dead. We found our own way here."  
"You're lying! This happened before... it's another trick!"  
"It's not a trick," Roxas told her, pushing forward.  
"You! Why didn't you come? Why didn't you bring the light back?"  
He tried to protest, but Aqua had none of it, launching at him with her Keyblade. Only his own ones, brought up only just in time, caught them. She seemed driven by an insatiable fury at Sora, now directed at him.  
Terra quickly moved clear as Roxas was driven back. He tried to get close, but the rain seemed to stop in the air and form a barrier. Of course, Aqua had been a master of water magic. She was in her element here.  
"Listen to me, Aqua!" He shouted over the ring of keyblades clashing. "Look at him! That isn't Sora!"  
"Lies! Enough of the lies!"  
In one swift movement, she disarmed Roxas, knocking him to the ground, but even this didn't stop her. Without thinking, Terra threw his own keyblade to him, calling, "Catch!"  
The downward strike was stopped before it landed. Aqua finally turned to face Terra, then turned on him. Roxas sent his keyblade back to him, retrieving his own quickly so he could come to his aid.  
Even with the two of them together, she seemed fully capable of holding both of them off, if not separating them entirely using the rain again.  
The storm grew worse yet. Gutters on the buildings began to overflow, causing new torrents of water to gush out of them. Puddles on the ground began to grow, until most of the paths were growing into rivers.  
Given her control over the water, neither of them missed the significance of this, falling back further and further as the waters took over more of the streets. They were lost inside the Necropolis now, but that hardly mattered while they were keeping clear of the now torrential downpour and it's effects.  
Aqua sent waves at them that any surfer would have avoided, seeming to ride them to keep up as they fled from the water's wrath.  
"We can't keep this up forever, Roxas!" Terra shouted over the roaring waters.  
"If you've got any ideas, now would be a good time!" he called back.  
At the end of this street, there was a piece of land that rose above the rest. On it a church rose up, it's entrance collapsed. Gargoyle statues lined the oddly flat rooftop, or what was left of them after the rain had torn parts away.  
The street split in two around it. Neither one was taken though, as both scrambled up to the questionable safety of the land above it.  
The waters rose up further, starting to lap at their feet again.  
"Fancy some rock climbing?" Terra asked Roxas. He stuck his hand into the remains of the entrance, seeming to somehow reshape them to allow them to climb up. It was steep, and far from safe with rain flowing down over it, but seemed to be little choice.  
Aqua didn't come after them, instead taking her wave past the church and out of sight.  
"Think she's done?" Roxas asked him as they came up onto the roof.  
"Not a chance. Look there," he pointed. Aqua was already on the rooftop waiting for them.  
The storms rumbled thunder again, flashing another fork of lightning to a lightning rod on the top of the church's tower, just behind Aqua.  
"Keep her busy, Terra," Roxas said on seeing this. "I've got a plan."


	18. Chapter 18

_Twilight Town  
Ansem's Mansion_

The Solder Heartless had vanished, and a brief flurry of Hearts had flashed around the room for only a few instants. One of them had returned to Jamie, who had watched it with curiosity, then seemed to fall unconscious.  
"Are you sure this is an improvement?" Vexen demanded of Zexion.  
"Of course I am. It just takes a little longer."  
"Sora isn't going to like it if you've done something to him."  
"I don't know why you're so worried about Sora. You're not part of that Arcology."  
"Neither are you."  
"That's different. I'm doing this as a favour to Axel, and Sora understands."  
"Are you going to join them?"  
"I haven't decided yet. I heard a rumour Roxas restored Demyx, so I might get them to find my own Heart before I join them. Maybe I'll leave it though, and save that as my price next time they come to me for something."  
"I thought you had a Heart?"  
"_A_ Heart," Zexion emphasised. "Not my own one. There's a difference. I'll find the one it belongs to before I get mine back. I know of only one person who's ever had two Hearts, and I don't want to turn out like him."  
"Who?"  
"Sora."  
"Because of Roxas?"  
"No. I don't know who the other Heart belongs to."  
"Well, how did you find out then?"  
"Weren't you watching after he destroyed Xemnas?"  
"I was a little distracted."  
"There were two Hearts left in front of him. One joined the other, and that one returned to him."  
They stood in silence for a few minutes, still hovering over the comatose Jamie.  
"I'm going to take a nap," Zexion told Vexen. "Keep an eye on him."

_The Dark Arcology  
Floor 20  
Axel's Guest Quarters_

Donald, Goofy, Riku and Kairi had been given special status as official guests of the Grandmaster, though all it granted them was the ability to come and go as they pleased.  
"I don't like it," Kairi shook her head. "It's like last time over again."  
"He'll turn up again," Riku told her. "You've got to remember he's got more to do here. It's a busy job running this place, I should think."  
"Everyone can take time off. No one's going to stop him if he just goes off on his own for a bit. That's what the Advisors and the Council are for, right?"  
"Don't ask me. I haven't the faintest. Everything I thought I knew about this place has turned out to be wrong so far."  
"What if something happens to him?"  
"I don't think you've got anything to worry about. If even half of what's said about him here is true, this place gives him more than enough power to keep himself safe."  
"Guess we're out of a job then," Goofy said glumly, nudging Donald.  
"Don't be silly," Donald replied. "We're still his friends, and we'll still go with him when something comes up."  
"You know, maybe it's a good thing he's the one with all that power," Riku said then. "It's not like it'll go to his head. Better he has it than someone else."  
"Like Sephiroth, you mean?" Kairi asked. "Or Xemnas?"  
"Or me, before I found my way again."  
There was a knock at the door, and Dog came in.  
"What did you find out?" Kairi asked him. She'd asked him to tell her anything he could find out about Sora's movements since he seemed to have forgotten about them again.  
"There was a message for him from Roxas that he felt the need to respond to in person. All I could tell was that it originated from someone named Tron, and that this Tron was in trouble."  
"Space Paranoids," Donald said to Goofy. "Remember that?"  
"Can't hardly forget."  
"Is it dangerous there?" Kairi asked them.  
"Anywhere Sora goes there's going to be danger," Riku laughed. "It follows him around with it's cousin trouble."  
"We should go help him then. Isn't that what friends do for each other?"  
"He probably doesn't need it," Dog pointed out.  
"Maybe not, but we don't know what the situation is. It's not our fault if we went to lend a hand, only to find he didn't need us?" her look was almost angelically innocent.

_Space Paranoids  
Dataspace_

Sora tapped one of the Surveillance Robot Heartless, stood behind it. It turned to stare at him.  
"You're ugly," he told it, then hit it with the keyblade, in it's signature form for this world, the Photon Debugger. The partner Heartless, as they had always come in pairs, simply watched impassively. It was still watching when Tron destroyed it.  
"I don't know how you do it," he said to Sora.  
"What's that?"  
"Get so close to them and stay so calm."  
"They're not going to do anything to me unless I let them," he shrugged. "And I'm more than a match for any mere Heartless. It's Sark I'm more worried about. I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do about him."  
"Derezz him more permanently this time?"  
"He was derezzed last time, and that was meant to be permanent. I think this time I'm going to have to do something different."  
"What do you have in mind?"  
"I haven't decided yet."  
"Sora, I've been meaning to ask..."  
Sora waited for him to continue. He glanced over and saw the troubled look, then prompted him, "Go on. Ask."  
"You're different." It was almost an accusation. "You used to be inseparable from your friends. You can do things now that..." he hesitated, then continued, "That look more like something you'd have gone against on principle. Whatever happened to you changed you, and it shows... literally."  
His normally good-humoured expression fell to a more serious one before he replied.  
"I didn't want it," Sora said quietly. "There wasn't any choice to it though. A great power, at the cost of giving up..." he gave a faintly derisive laugh and continued, "my life, I guess. For a time, no one would have recognised me even if they looked right at me."  
"I recognise you," Tron pointed out. "Even if you do look different."  
"I said for a time," Sora reminded him, almost absently obliterating another Heartless that stumbled into view. "Thing have changed now, and I've sorted most of it. I can't get rid of the power I was given though, and having risen through the ranks has only left me with more. I figure as long as I don't let that get the better of me, it's not so bad. I don't want to turn out like..." he paused again. His face flicked through several expressions, and he shuddered back from something before he continued, "...like certain others."  
"Like Sark?"  
"Sark would be a picnic compared to what I could turn into if I didn't try to stick to the same path I've always followed. You _wouldn't_ want to come up against that, believe me."  
"Bad?"  
"Do you think you could stand up to me now?"  
"I doubt it."  
"Exactly." He straightened up, seeming to restore his good nature again. "Now, why don't we go pay a call on Sark, and see if he thinks he can stand up to us again?"  
"I thought you'd never ask."

_Twilight Town  
Ansem's Mansion_

It was a boring task, having to watch over Jamie. There wasn't anything better to do though. Dark Corridors wouldn't respond to him while he had this borrowed Heart. He had no idea who's it was, but the erratic emotions he'd had since getting it almost made him wish he could go back to acting again. At least then he had some control over them.  
He'd have gone somewhere else, but there wasn't anywhere he wanted to go.  
The trouble of it was saved as a figure appeared behind him and joined him.  
"He looks almost peaceful," Seifer remarked. "I envy him that."  
"So do I," Vexen murmured.  
"Trouble?"  
"Just these emotions again."  
"You'll get used to it. Did you manage to get the details?"  
Vexen handed him a small computer disk.  
"It's encrypted. Use 'Roxas' to decrypt it."  
"Why Roxas?"  
"I felt like it."  
"You?"  
"Stop that. I don't know how you manage it."  
"I'm used to it," Seifer shrugged. "I never lost my Heart."  
"I didn't lose it. It was deliberate."  
"If you say so." Jamie stirred a little, but settled again. "Better I leave now, just in case. Don't call us. We'll call you."  
"Sure thing," Vexen said, his eyes never leaving Jamie.  
There was silence for a few moments, then Zexion joined him.  
"Interesting conversation."  
"I thought you were sleeping."  
"I sleep light."  
"You're going to tell Roxas, aren't you?"  
"No. I don't see any reason to."  
"You know what I'm doing, right?"  
"Of course. I just don't see the point in stopping you. It's your choice, not mine."  
"You're working with them though. Doesn't that mean you should tell them?"  
"Do you want me to?"  
"Of course not."  
"Then let it lie. This is just a favour for Axel remember. Nothing more. Once we're done here, I'm free to do whatever I want."  
"What will you do then?"  
"I haven't decided. I'll find something."  
"I guess trying to persuade you to join us would be a waste of time, right?"  
"Pretty much. I've had my share of organizations. It might be nice to try and lead a normal life for a change."  
"Normal? You? You'd find something to do that wasn't normal, I'm sure."  
"Maybe. Go take a break. I'll keep watch."  
"Thanks," Vexen grudgingly murmured as he left.

_The Necropolis_

Roxas flitted around the church's roof and tower working on whatever his plan was. Terra tried to keep Aqua's attention without being beaten.  
Roxas had lent him one of his keyblades, a dark one that almost seemed to blend into the last of the light, given only by lightning sparking around in the clouds before it forked down again.  
Aqua seemed to have no end to her fury, or to the control over the weather. Much of the Necropolis below was now flooded.  
Finally, Roxas rejoined him.  
"I hope your boots are insulated," he called over the sound of the storm.  
"Of course they're insulated. What have you got in mind?"  
"Just wait."  
Aqua launched at Roxas again. She still believed him to be Sora, and it was him she'd been after. Keeping her attention away from him hadn't been easy.  
Terra quickly threw the borrowed keyblade back to him, allowing him to bear the flurry of strikes from Aqua's own keyblade with ease.  
It seemed for a moment that he had a chance to strike through her defences, but as the clouds above rumbled, he got clear instead.  
Aqua followed, then paused, as if something wasn't quite right.  
Thunder rolled. The lightening built up, forked down and hit the lightning rod, sending sparks round the lines over the roof and into pools of water over it with a lot of sparking and cracking. The three of them seemed to be safe from it at first.  
Then with louder cracks, the roof sagged in places, crevices appearing over it.  
Then it collapsed into the church, sending them plunging down into a partially flooded church hall. Terra caught onto an edge that hadn't yet collapsed with one hand, but like him it was soaked, and it was difficult to keep a purchase on it.  
A large piece of debris caught Roxas as he fell. Terra couldn't tell how badly it had hurt him from here, but when Roxas didn't surface again after hitting the water's surface, he knew something was wrong.  
Aqua seemed to have avoided harm on the way down, but had vanished while he watched for Roxas. Either something had happened to her, or she'd gotten away.  
His fingers slipped on the wet stones. He waited as long as he could, trying to judge the depth of the water below.  
Finally, he gave in and let go, diving down and in. He stayed down as long as he could, trying to spot Roxas while underneath, but there was next to no visibility because of the darkness.  
He searched for as long as he could, stumbling almost blindly around underwater, before he had to surface. A few moments to recover, and he tried again, and again.  
He finally found him, hidden underneath one of the heavy carved-stone benches. Terra brought him to the surface, where he confirmed what he'd suspected. Roxas was out cold, with a number of nasty looking contusions over his head.  
Terra looked about, trying to find somewhere above the water level, but there didn't seem to be anywhere. He settled for taking hold of a column and waiting. The water was no longer rising visibly, but it wasn't subsiding either. This could be a long wait. Without Roxas, he had no way of getting back to the Arcology, or anywhere else – and no way of letting anyone know what had happened.


	19. Chapter 19

_Space Paranoids  
Dataspace_

A portal opened, created by Dog. It was not unlike the Dark Corridors, but as the power from their Kingdom Heart was light now, it was safe for anyone to use.  
Riku's head appeared through it momentarily, appearing to check the area before it vanished again. Then he stepped through, followed by Goofy, Donald, and finally Kairi.  
Donald and Goofy took on the data forms they'd acquired on their first visit here, with the blue circuits over greys and blues.  
Riku and Kairi seemed unaffected at first, but once Dog's portal closed, they also changed appearance to similar data forms. Both took on the signature greys and grey-blue colouring, with the bright blue circuits over them. Kairi gained a crown made entirely from them, with a see-through eyepiece in front of one eye, while Riku gained a protective helmet, similar to Sora's, but it left no part exposed except his face.  
"Was this really necessary?" Riku asked Donald.  
"Don't ask me," he answered. "It always happens when we're here."  
"I feel ridiculous," Riku complained.  
"You did insist on coming along," Kairi reminded him.  
"I'm still meant to be keeping you out of trouble for Mickey, remember?"  
"That was while I was looking for Sora. Now we've found him. You don't have to any more."  
"He didn't say to stop doing it when he caught up with us. Besides, Sora's gone off on his own again. Who's to say you aren't going to need me around while he's busy?"  
"I don't want to interrupt," Goofy said before Kairi replied. "But don't you think we ought to be looking for him now?"  
"You two know this place. You can lead our search," Kairi told him.  
"Aw, that's no problem. I just saw him go past while you were busy arguing."  
"Well lets get after him then of course!" she said when they all looked at her. "Honestly, do I have to think for all of you as well now?"  
Following Goofy, they ran after him. It turned out to be unnecessary, as he had only been walking along slowly with Tron.  
Donald slowed though, looking curious. "He didn't look like that last time we were here."  
"The colours are all wrong," Goofy agreed. "There was none of them black or white patches, and the circuits were definitely the same blue as ours."  
"You're forgetting the Arcology's influence," Riku reminded them, then louder he called, "Hey, Sora! Need a hand?"  
He and Tron turned to see them. "How did you guys get here?"  
"Dog found the way for us. We thought you might get lonesome without us to keep company."  
"Are you suggesting Tron isn't good company?"  
"Don't be like that, Sora," Tron chided. "Having friends around is never bad. You seem to have made a few new friends since last time."  
"They're not new friends, you just didn't meet them last time. Riku and Kairi," he introduced them. "Not a bad look for you, by the way," he said to Riku.  
"Give it up. You look just as silly."  
"It's the fashion here," he answered, grinning.  
"What trouble are you up to this time?" Kairi asked him.  
"Oh, no trouble. I'm afraid you just missed it entirely. Sark absorbed the Master Control Program, tried to take me on, failed, and instead of making him derezz, I made him human and stuck him out in Traverse Town. It should give him plenty to think about, and keep him out of trouble."  
"So why haven't you come back yet?"  
"We were making sure there were no Heartless left," Tron explained. "There's quite a few left over."  
"And they're getting good at hiding too. Heartless aren't meant to learn," he complained.  
"Anything will learn eventually," Tron pointed out.  
"Heartless never learn though. It's completely out of character for them."  
"Look sharp!" Tron warned, pointing. "They're coming again, and they've got a few programs on their side too."  
"Leave the programs to me," Sora told them. "I'll work on the Heartless afterwards. If you lot have left me any, that is."  
Sora went on ahead, ignoring the Heartless, and sometimes using them to reach the programs better. With the five of them left to handle the Heartless, their various skills cut through them too easily.  
While they were distracted, none of them noticed Sora pause at one point, the circuits over him glowing pure white instead. His eyes narrowed, and he finished of the rest of the programs with almost brutal efficiency, then vanished.  
"What happened to Sora?" Riku asked afterwards, looking around. "Did he get hit or something?"  
"I wish he wouldn't just disappear on us like that," Kairi complained. "He could at least tell us where he's going."  
"Oh, stop that," Sora's voice told them. "Something came up, that's all."  
"Where are you?"  
"As soon as I know, I'll tell you."  
"You don't know?"  
"Well obviously," he replied irately. "I had a rough idea of where Roxas is, and that was good enough."  
"What does Roxas have to do with it?"  
"He's gone and gotten himself into trouble again. I didn't get anything except what sounded like a call for help, and I can't get through to him again."  
"Let us help you."  
"Absolutely not! There's something here that's taken Roxas out of action, and I don't know what it is. It's also flooded, not to mention absolutely freezing cold here."  
"At least get us back to the Arcology then."  
"I'll get Dog to pick you up again. I've got to find Roxas."

_Twilight Town  
Ansem's Mansion_

"Well finally. I thought you were going to sleep through the whole day."  
Jamie sat up, feeling disoriented and looking around. Vexen was dozing not far away, and Zexion was stood nearby.  
"How long was I out for?"  
"Several hours. How do you feel?"  
"If you must know, I feel like I've been put together backwards," he said with a weak laugh.  
"That's not what I meant."  
"Yeah, I know. I'm not sure what I feel."  
"I'd like you to stick around, for a bit. Just to make sure you're alright."  
"I'll be fine."  
"You're as bad as Roxas. Or Sora for that matter. Neither of them like to admit to being hurt."  
Jamie ignored that, standing up and stretching, then he squinted at Vexen. "How's he been?"  
"Erratic. He'll be fine if I can find his Heart. Or mine for that matter."  
"I thought you two had them back."  
"They're not ours. I guess we're borrowing ones that belong to people who are still Heartless."  
"Want a hand finding them?"  
"No. I'd rather use that to extort another favour out of Sora," he answered with a vicious grin.  
"Extort?"  
"I don't work for him remember. He wants something from me, he can do something for me. Payment in advance, too."  
"You're terrible."  
"I know. So you'll stay here?"  
"No. I've got something I want to talk to Sora about first, then there's something I want to do."  
"I suppose telling you to come back later for a check up is out of the question."  
"What are you, a doctor?"  
"I have a bit of background as one," he answered modestly.  
"I should have guessed. I'll think about it if I get the chance."  
"Jamie," Zexion called as he made to leave the room. "Don't lose your Heart this time."

_The Necropolis_

It was hard to tell if the water was rising, lowering, or even moving at all. Terra wasn't really trying to tell though. He kept hold of the pillar and the comatose Roxas, and hoped his attempt to get help had worked.  
He knew the markings members of the Arcology all bore had some link to each other, and had attempted to use Roxas' ones in an attempt to call for Sora. The markings had sparked slightly when he'd called out, but that was all.  
There had been no sign of Aqua, though this was more of a good thing. Neither of them were in any position to try to take her on again, particularly not after her attack. He never remembered her getting quite that angered, or having such control over water as she'd displayed.  
The rain had stopped at least, but the church's newly opened roof left a perfect way for a cold wind to blow in. It wasn't making things any more bearable.  
It was snowing again now, a light filmy kind of snow that didn't seem to be able to settle on the wet stone around the edges of the hole above. After a short time, a few small chunks seemed to be unbalanced enough by it all the same. Terra prudently moved to a different pillar to avoid getting hit by any as one by one, they too began to tumble into the water.  
"Come on Sora," he muttered, teeth chattering from the cold. "What's keeping you?"  
"Sora?" Aqua's voice again. "I know that name."  
"Not again."  
"That strange guy in the black robe told me about him. He reminded me of Ven... always fighting for his friends, against the darkness..." the voice was softer this time. There was none of the anger that had been in it earlier. "He told me a lot about him... before he lost all his memories. I wonder what happened to him when I ended up here?"  
"Don't ask me," Terra murmured, keeping quiet in case she turned nasty again. "I don't even know who you're talking about."  
Aqua seemed silent after this though, making no further comments. The only sounds were of the water sloshing around inside, or against the outside.  
A booming rumble seemed to come from outside. It was felt more than heard, as if a shockwave passed through the water. Terra glanced around quickly, but there was still no one else there.  
Another one, louder and stronger came just afterwards, and then a third, seemingly so close that a few more chunks of roof splashed down into the water, one too close for comfort. Terra moved to another pillar again, trying to find one that was a little safer.  
With the fourth one, there was the sound of rushing water, and at last the water levels inside the church began to fall, revealing the church underneath. Most of the furniture, seemingly carved out of the same heavy stone as the benches, had remained still. Rubble from the roof lay scattered all over though, in places even breaking what had previously been hidden underwater.  
There was yet another boom, this time from the blocked entrance, sending rubble flying in. Terra quickly took refuge behind one bench to keep out of the way.  
"Roxas!" Sora's voice called.  
"We're over here," Terra answered, laying Roxas out on a bench and standing. "Am I glad to see you."  
"What did you two do here?"  
"Find Aqua. She seemed a little irritated at you for some reason."  
"Me?"  
"Don't ask me. I didn't understand what she was talking about mostly. She attacked us and flooded the place. Roxas did something to drive her off, which did that," he jabbed a finger at the open roof. "Except we ended up down here, and he took a few blows."  
Sora finally reached the bench, and saw Roxas.  
"A few blows?" he echoed. "You call this a few blows? What did she hit him with, a mountain?"  
"Oh, it wasn't her. It was bits of the roof."  
"Where is she now?"  
"I'm not sure. After this happened, she disappeared. I heard her a few moments ago when I mentioned your name, and she said something about someone telling her about you, but that was all. She seems to know you, and respond to your name."  
"My name, huh?" Sora looked thoughtful for a few moments, then turned to face the alter and called out, "Alright Aqua. I'm here. Sora. Show yourself."  
"Subtle," Terra muttered.  
"Not one of my strong points," he replied.  
"I noticed."  
"Is that her?" he pointed to another doorway near the alter. Terra turned to look. She was there, this time without the black robe. Just as he remembered her.  
"Yeah. Be careful, Sora." Sora glared at him for a moment. "Sorry."  
"Stay with Roxas," he said before joining her.  
"So you're Sora," she said. "You remind me of Ven."  
"I know. I've got his Heart. That's another story though. What happened here? Terra said you attacked him."  
"It's this place. It brings out the different parts of people. That was just a part of me... the negative part. I'm the real Aqua."  
"Reminds me." He turned back to Terra. "Just where is this place?"  
"The Necropolis," he answered. "Means City of the Dead, or so Roxas tells me. We'd have invited you to come along, but apparently you don't like the undead."  
"Roxas talks too much," Sora muttered, then back to Aqua, "So you're sure there's no other bits of you wandering around?"  
"No. I've got them all. What took you so long to find me, Sora?"  
"Huh?"  
"I met someone at... I don't know where it was. It was a dark kind of place... there was a beach there."  
"I think I know the place. Go on.  
"He didn't tell me his name, but he seemed to know you. He told me a lot about you. Made it sound almost like you were going to come and get me back from the darkness."  
"Ansem, perhaps..." Sora mused to himself. "We never did find out what happened to him after his machine exploded. What then?"  
"He disappeared one day, leaving only the black robe he'd been wearing... when I took it, I ended up here." She hesitated, then remembering what Terra had said, "I'm not dead, am I?"  
Sora took her wrist.  
"No. You've got a pulse, you're alive."  
"We probably shouldn't stay here, Sora," Terra told him. "Roxas is going to need to see a doctor for all this."  
"True. You too."  
"Me? I feel fine, just cold and wet."  
"No reason not to get checked, just in case. Only thing is, I don't know the way out, and I can't seem to port us out."  
"Port?" Aqua asked curiously.  
"I'll explain everything to you later," Terra told her. "We can get out of here first. I know what to look for. If we can find a pair of giant blue doors, we'll have the way out."  
"I know where those are," Aqua said. "I've been here for a while. I know most of the places, or at least how to get to them. Why don't you two bring your friend, and I'll show you the way."


	20. Chapter 20

_The Necropolis_

"Whoever built this place had bad taste in architecture," Sora noted once outside.  
"They're just buildings," Terra shrugged, or tried to. He was holding Roxas over his shoulders once Sora had created a fire to dry them out with. "It's not like they're going to do anything to you."  
"Yeah, but all this dark stone they used to build it makes it look depressing."  
"It wasn't built," Aqua told him, trying to place their location. "I've talked with some of the dead here. Those that realise they're dead, that is. They think it was created out of nothing. We'll have to hurry. It's almost sunset, and once the sun sets, the gates vanish until sunrise."  
"Oh, joy," Sora muttered. "Just what I wanted. A night in the Necropolis."  
Aqua rolled her eyes skyward, but said nothing as she set out.  
"You're not going to turn nasty on us again are you?" Terra murmured to her.  
"Don't be silly. I was just a little scattered when you appeared. "Do you know, he looks a lot like Ven?"  
"It's because he's got Ven's Heart."  
"Really? I wondered why Ven was comatose. If he really can get us out of here, I might be able to reawaken him again."  
"Sora will get us out. You just find us the gates and leave the rest to him."  
"I know exactly where the gates are. There's no need to find them."  
"So where are they?"  
"At the edge of the Necropolis, of course. _Which_ edge, and where that is in relation to us... that's another matter."  
"So you're lost."  
"I'm not lost. I'm just not entirely certain I know where I am."  
"That's what lost means, Aqua."  
"No it doesn't." She glanced back at Sora again. "I wonder if I should tell him the ghosts are likely to start showing up again soon."  
"Let him find out for himself."  
Aqua chuckled, leading them down a side street to the market area Terra and Roxas had first encountered her at.  
The flow of water had washed away much of the accumulated snow, and many of the stalls and other such street-furniture that had been here, revealing the worn cobblestone paths underneath.  
As they rounded another corner nearby, Sora muttered "I hate this," and kept slightly closer. A number of faint figures could be seen peeking out of doorways, examining the skies for any sign of more rain. Several called inside to tell others, while others left their rooms to continue going about their business.  
They encountered more of them as they progressed. Aqua paid them little attention, instead keeping watch on the sky for any sign of nightfall, and the buildings around to find her way.  
Finally, over the tops of some of the lower buildings, the great blue doors of the Necropolis loomed.  
"About time too," Sora said. "Would anyone mind if we hurried?"  
"What's up, Sora?" Terra grinned. "Something bothering you?"  
"Of course not," he answered sarcastically. "I'm only in the one place I'd never come if it hadn't been for you three."  
"I don't know why you're including me," Aqua said mildly. "I didn't do anything to you."  
"No, but you're the reason they came here, and why they had to call me for help."  
"That wasn't entirely my fault. It's one of the effects the Necropolis has on the living."  
Sora didn't reply to that.  
Finally, they stood before the gates. Sora opened the first of them the same way Roxas had.  
"Leaving so soon, Sora?" a voice behind them said as they started to swing open. Sora's expression hardened, but he didn't turn to look. "Oh, come on. You could at least acknowledge me."  
"Go away," he answered.  
"Is that really all I get? After all, I did give you the opportunity of a lifetime."  
"Shut up. Just shut up and go away."  
"You can't ignore me."  
"Watch me," he replied, starting to enter the hall between the inner and outer gates.  
"After all, you killed me." Sora stopped again. "Oh, that got your attention, didn't it?"  
"What do you want, Sephiroth?"  
"Do I need a reason to see an old friend?"  
"You are _not_ my friend."  
"A fair rival then."  
"You're not even that."  
"Then what am I, Sora?"  
"Dead. You're nothing more than the last echoes that don't know when to leave things alone and fade away."  
"Perhaps. But if I had sent you here instead, would you not have found me when I came?"  
"You never had a chance of making that happen."  
"Oh, I doubt that."  
Sora turned sharply, looking the shade of Sephiroth full in the face. "You had no chance, you hear me? None. Roxas and I planned to cover everything, and it's because of that you lost. It's because of that you're here. You brought that onto yourself by leaving me no other choice. The blame for that lies completely with you."  
"I don't regret my actions. Perhaps my inattentiveness, but not my actions, and you can hardly blame me for something that I had no hand in. I didn't pen the rule about killing the previous Grandmaster."  
"But you didn't change it either."  
"Neither have you."  
"I don't plan to give anyone a reason to kill me."  
"Sora," Aqua called. "It's almost sunset – come on!"  
Sora treated Sephiroth to one last venomous glance, then turned and joined them.  
"There'll always be someone who doesn't like what you do, Sora," Sephiroth called after him. "And with it always a chance someone will follow in your footsteps."  
"Not if I can help it," he muttered to himself as the doors closed behind him.

_The World that Never Was  
Where Nothing Gathers_

The sole remaining room of the castle that remained intact lay empty, unused for some time. The chairs remained in the same state, at the same height, as they had been when it had last been used. A serene silence pervaded the area, giving it a sense of perfection.  
The base of one of the chairs flexed slightly, as if something were pushing the immutable stone. It darkened briefly, then someone stepped through. The stone snapped back into place.  
Again this happened on another chair, and a second came through.  
"It's still here after all this time? I thought it would have been lost with the rest of the Castle." Axel's voice cut through the silence, not needing much volume to be heard.  
"It's the only room I could find in one piece," Zexion murmured. "The bedrooms are all but gone, half of the library is gone, and the Grey Area is in a bad way, but here remained totally untouched."  
Axel brushed his hand over the one that used to be as if it were an old friend.  
"What did you have in mind for it?"  
"I was thinking of giving it to Sora. I'll give him what he needs to know to reach here using the Arcology's power. For a price."  
"What would he use it for?"  
"The same thing we did. There's enough room for him, the Advisors and the Council, with space left over for anyone else they want to bring in. You can't say it wouldn't be a good cause."  
"No," Axel agreed. "I can't. He'd make good use of it. Name your price."  
"Get me my Heart back. Once I'm complete again, I'll give up what he needs to know."  
"It won't be easy."  
"I never said it would be."  
"What about Vexen?"  
"What about him?"  
"Doesn't he have a borrowed Heart too?"  
Zexion nodded assent, "He'll make his own offer when he's ready."  
"Why bring this to me?"  
"You, me and Vexen are the only members of the Organization left besides Roxas, and you and Roxas are the only ones part of Sora's Arcology. You ranked higher than him, so I figure it's only right that I give the offer to you."  
"Both you and Vexen ranked above me though."  
"But we're not part of the Arcology."  
"I'll... pass it on. Where will I find you if I need you?"  
"You'll find me if you look. I'm not doing everything for you."

_Castle Oblivion_

"It's not going to work," Sand explained. "There's something about this place that I can't figure out. No matter how close we get, it's still going to be there to thwart us. The Chamber might be here, but there's no way to it."  
"Have you tried your disappearing act to get there?"  
"Yes," Sand sighed. "It doesn't work, Maleficent. We just get redirected."  
"Just what is in there that you want?"  
"You don't need to worry about that."  
"So you've told me, but you still have a debt to pay, Sand. I gave you a diversion and confirmed the existance of the Chamber, but what have you done for me in return?"  
"I gave you what you needed to get into the Arcology," he pointed out.  
"That's only one item. You still have a debt to pay off. Tell me what's in there."  
Sand glowered at her for a few moments. "Fine. You aren't going to find the way in any more than I am. It won't do you any good to know anyway."  
"So?"  
"If reports can be believed, inside the chamber is the comatose body of Ventus. His Heart resides with Sora. If the two were put in close proximity, the Heart would return to it's rightful owner, and he would be awakened."  
"And why do you want this?"  
"You don't need to know that, and if you want to know, you'll have to wait until you do something else for me."  
"We'll see, won't we?"  
"Just don't forget what you've got to do."

_The Dark Arcology  
Floor 38 – Infirmary and Medical Research_

Roxas had been taken into a separate room to be treated, leaving Sora and Aqua to wait while Terra was given a series of smaller checks to ensure he wasn't ill at all. The physician seemed particularly concerned about him contracting pneumonia because of the cold.  
"Why were they looking for me?" Aqua asked Sora while they waited.  
"The Arcology's Reliquary picked up a Keyblade and some armour that Terra identified as yours. It's been talking on it's own, and recently mentioned 'The Wind and the Earth'."  
"Ven and Terra."  
"Yeah. I went to check it out, but the message about it took a detour on the way to me, and someone else checked it out. He's now denying he did so, so I sent Terra with Roxas to find you before he did."  
"He who?"  
"Sand. He's a First in the Arcology."  
"Which you run, right?"  
"Yeah. Well... when I'm in my office and not trying to escape all the work I have to put in."  
"What's the relationship between you and Roxas? Brothers?"  
"No. He's my Nobody."  
"Nobody?"  
"You know what Heartless are?"  
"Never heard of them."  
"Seriously? I thought you went against them when Ven was still around with you."  
"Those were Unversed."  
"I wonder if they're related... Heartless are formed from the darkness in people's hearts, and they'll try to consume the Hearts of others to create even more Heartless. If they're let into a world, they'll try to consume it's colossal Heart to make it a haven for their kind."  
"Unpleasent. What does this have to do with Roxas and being a Nobody?"  
"A Nobody is similar to a Heartless, formed in the same way. They're mind and body, but no Heart, and because of that they have no emotions. Roxas, and he tells me Naminé too, are exceptions to that."  
"Doesn't that make you a Heartless then?"  
"I was, for a time. There isn't all that much darkness in me though, so Kairi managed to bring me back again. That made Roxas doubly special, he has feelings, and he and I can coexist. He rejoined me once before, but when I came to this place originally, my joining them somehow caused him to separate again."  
"And Kairi is...?"  
Sora fidgeted uneasily for a few moments, then in a quiet voice admitted, "My girlfriend."  
"So Naminé is the same to Roxas?"  
"You'd have to ask him... but probably. Kairi and Naminé also rejoined, but haven't been separated again."  
"He reminds me of Ven, just like you."  
"It's probably because I've got his Heart."  
"So I hear."  
They sat in silence for a few moment, then Axel joined him.  
"I heard what happened," he murmured, taking a seat. "How is he?"  
"You know as much as I do," Sora replied.  
"Guess I'll have to wait too then. Had a message from Zexion for you, by the way."  
"Oh?"  
"Have you ever heard of a place called Where Nothing Gathers?"  
"I don't think so."  
"It's where we used to gather. The Organization, I mean."  
"I thought you used the Grey Room?"  
"No. That's just where Saïx gave us the missions. Each of us had a chair in Where Nothing Gathers. It's where we'd report in, discuss things. Sort of like the Council Chambers here, but on a smaller scale."  
"Interesting. What about it?"  
"Zexion discovered it still exists, and is willing to give it to you, along with the secret of how to reach it, for a price."  
"What price?"  
"He wants us to find him his Heart."  
"Doesn't he have it?"  
"No. Otherwise he'd have become his complete being, Ienzo, again."  
"So he wants us to do the hard work that he ought to do himself, just for this?"  
"Don't take it badly, Sora. You could make good use of the place, I think."  
"Don't you want it?"  
"What would I use it for? As far as we can tell, it hasn't been used since before you assaulted the place. It's yours to use."  
"If I find his Heart. Alright, tell him I've got someone looking for it."  
"Who are you going to send?"  
"Congratulations on volunteering," he answered.  
"Thanks," Axel replied flatly.  
"No charge. Besides, you probably know more about where to look than me."


	21. Chapter 21

_Infirmary and Medical Research_

Axel paced impatiently around the waiting area. He'd introduced himself to Aqua briefly, then started fidgeting, and finally pacing.  
"Oh, this is ridiculous," he burst out finally. "I'm going in there."  
"No, you're not," Sora told him, rousing himself from his doze.  
"But Sora-"  
"I said no. They'll tell us when we can see him."  
"I'm worried about him."  
"For someone without a Heart, that must be a fair feat."  
"I've got a borrowed one, you know that."  
"Well, why don't you look for yours when you're finding Zexion's?"  
"Are you kidding me? You want me to do even more work?"  
"What do you expect, I'd do it for you? I've got enough to deal with as it is."  
"You aren't even doing anything right now."  
"Minor detail," he brushed it aside. "I'm worried about him too, but you don't see me rushing in."  
"That's different. They wouldn't be able to stop you."  
"Not true, actually. The Medical staff have the right to overrule even me if it concerns the well-being of their patients."  
"You mean they actually have more power than you?"  
"Only in certain situations."  
"Well now," Axel murmured beatifically. "Isn't that interesting?"  
"Let it be."  
The door to Roxas' room opened, and a weary looking physician came to them.  
"He'll be fine," he told them. "He's a little delusional right now, but he's awake. I'll need to keep him here for a while to make sure he gets a full recovery."  
"Can we see him?" Sora asked.  
"Don't be too long," he warned.  
"Terra? Aqua?" Sora called to them.  
"You two go ahead," Aqua answered. "We'll wait here."  
Roxas was leaning back on the bed with one arm in a sling, a bandage around his head, and unfocused eyes.  
"Axel!" he exclaimed, seeing them come in. He tried to sit up, but winced and leaned back again. "When did you get back?"  
"Uh... just now. How do you feel?"  
"I'll be fine if they'd just let me out of here. Can't you get Saïx to get me out and back on a mission?"  
"He's away at the moment, but I'll talk with him for you," Axel lied smoothly. Both he and Sora realised what had been meant by 'delusional' now.  
"Thanks, Axel. I can't stand being cooped up in here like this." Then he noticed Sora stood just behind Axel. "I thought you were at Castle Oblivion?"  
"I was," Sora answered, not sure which member of the Organization Roxas thought he was. "I came back when I heard you were here."  
"What for? It's not like you can be worried. You don't have the Heart for it."  
"Fine. Be that way. I thought you'd like to know we're concerned, but it seems not." Sora turned to leave.  
"Lexaeus, wait!" Roxas called him back. "I didn't mean it like that." Sora concealed a smile briefly, then turned back.  
"You've got a strange way of showing it. It wasn't my idea, anyway."  
"Vexen told you to, right?"  
"It was something to do," he shrugged. "You better get back in shape soon, or we'll have to find someone to replace you."  
"Oh, no you don't! I'll be back in action before you even think about it."  
"Neatly done," Axel murmured as they left.  
"I'm not completely stupid," Sora replied. "I can act the part of one of you lot if I have to."  
"I noticed. What now?"  
"You get to go to work looking for Zexion's Heart, of course."  
"Thanks for reminding me," he answered, still not happy about it. "I guess I should go do some work."  
"I'm sure you'll have no trouble at all," Sora told him with a broad grin. Axel muttered something to himself and vanished.  
"How was he?" Aqua asked as Sora returned.  
"Better. He thinks I'm someone else at the moment. He'll recover though."  
"That's good. Terra's been busy telling me everything I missed, and your friend Jamie is looking for you."  
"Jamie? I wonder what he wants."  
"He'll be back any minute now. He just went off for a quick break."  
"I'll wait for him then. Where's Terra?"  
"He got called back just a few moments ago to get the results of one of the tests."  
"Sounds like it was a good thing I insisted he get checked too."  
"Oh, you don't know him. It takes a lot to take Terra down, a little cold isn't going to bother him that much."  
"It wasn't just a little cold though... he did go up against you. How are you holding up, by the way?"  
"I feel like there's something missing still. I guess that'll be fixed when I get my armour back off this Sand of yours."  
"We'll get it back."  
"I don't doubt you, after all I hear you've done."  
"There you are," Jamie's voice said, followed by Jamie himself. "I've got a request for you, Sora."  
"Go ahead."  
"I want you to revoke my membership in the Arcology."  
"Don't you want to work for me any more?"  
"It's not that. There's something I want to do, and I don't want anything hanging over my head like restrictions on this place."  
"What are you up to, Jamie?"  
"Nothing dangerous. If it makes you feel any better, I'll make my way back as soon as I can and rejoin."  
"I could make it a vacation. You'd still be part of the Arcology, but it wouldn't have any influence over you until you came back from it."  
Jamie considered it, looking troubled for a moment. "I'd still have the power that way, wouldn't I?"  
"Naturally."  
"Done then. If you don't mind, I'd like to start now."  
"Go on. Enjoy yourself."  
Jamie said nothing, disappearing.  
"Unusual request," Aqua noted.  
"I'm tempted to have someone watch him. It's not like him to hide things from me."  
"Let him be. He can probably take care of himself."

_Dark Meridian_

Jamie appeared with the faint sucking sound that was the signature of the Arcology's power, and looked around.  
It was a shoreline, with grey rocks over it, and what looked like thorny grey structures, some reaching into the water. Further up the beach, they seemed more like bushy plants. The moon hung low in the sky, leaving a trail of light flashing over the water's surface toward him.  
This was not the present, however. This had already happened.  
On a particularly large rock, a figure sat wearing an Organization robe, looking out to sea.  
Jamie made his way to the figure, standing wordlessly nearby, leaning on his ever-present spear.  
"It is interesting to see another here," the figure murmured. "I seldom have visitors. In fact, you're the first I've had this time."  
"I know," he answered simply.  
"What brings you here?"  
"Curiosity. And I thought you might want some company."  
"So... you came by choice?"  
"Is that really so hard to believe?"  
"Forgive me... you are the first to have come in that manner. You leave me with a curiosity of my own."  
"I'd explain. But you wouldn't believe me."  
"Oh, I don't know about that. There are things I've done that no one else might believe. Terrible things. The Heart is not a place to be experimenting."  
"Maybe not. But it gave rise to Sora, and you know what he's done and doing."  
"Oh yes, I know. It was his friends that bore the results of my experiments. Riku worse than the others."  
"He forgives you, you know."  
"Riku? Surely you jest... there can be no forgiveness for misleading someone into the darkness for one's own ends..."  
"You haven't talked to him about it."  
"Nor am I likely to, it seems... before long, I won't remember any of this."  
"Not that soon. You've got a while yet."  
"What makes you so certain, my boy?"  
"I know what's going to happen next."  
"An interesting gift... I wonder how things may have turned out, had I the benefit of it before..."  
"Maybe things were meant to happen this way. Maybe it wasn't something that should be changed."  
"Perhaps, but it seems we'll never know."  
"Maybe. Or maybe it's best left the way it is, so certain people do the right things." he told Ansem.  
"What might those be?"  
"You already know what. It's already happened. Excuse me for now... I have... other things to do."  
"Where will you go?"  
"That lies in the future," Jamie answered, picking up his spear. It left a small hole in the sand. "And it's the future I'm headed for."  
"Safe journey," Ansem said as he left. "May you never experience what happened to my apprentices."  
"It's a little late for that," Jamie replied over his shoulder. Ansem may have said something else, but he had taken cover in a thorny bush, concealed from view. He'd have to wait some time, but he'd brought a few supplies to last him the time. He'd wait patiently until what he was waiting for happened.  
Much later, he was awoken to the sound of sand scrunching as someone else approached. She wore the whites and blues he'd seen not too long ago, and stopped just beside the hole his spear had left.  
"Who are you?" she asked, clearly not afraid.  
Ansem glanced over, surprised.  
"Why, hello. It's not often I get visitors..."  
Jamie settled down to listen, prepared to leave when finished. He'd use Timeless River again, this time to slip it into Roxas' database just before he'd need it.

_The Dark Arcology  
Floor 100 – Internal Security_

King re-checked everything, then touched is markings and said, "Dog, are you in position?"  
"Ready when you are," his voice came back.  
"Do it in one minute from... now."  
He waited almost impatiently, watching the monitors. If he'd done it right, their test would pick up Dog as an intruder, and set the system off. It had been installed throughout the Arcology, but the alarm would only sound here until everything was fully tested.  
The alarm went off early. King silenced it, and called Dog again.  
"I said one minute, Dog."  
"I didn't do anything yet. What happened?"  
"Something triggered the system."  
"Could it be a real intruder?"  
King's eyes widened, and he tapped through, tracing it.  
"Dog, find Sora, quickly," he said finally. "We've got some unwanted guests." Then he turned to the various security staff nearby. "Don't just stand there." He pointed at the monitor showing the compromised floors. "Do something!"  
Orders were barked out quickly. So far only the first few floors had been compromised, so one operation evacuated the floors immediately above, attempting to establish a secure front line between them and the intruders. A second operation retrieved anyone still in the compromised floors.  
The alarm triggered again, this time with a different warning.  
"Dog," King called again. "Tell Sora we have another outbreak of Heartless in the Arcology!"


	22. Chapter 22

_Sora's Arcology_

Word had spread quickly through the various channels of the Arcology to it's residents. Firsts called in everyone they had available, directing them first to the nearest Armoury, and then to the front lines. In one massive concerted effort, almost every able member of Sora's Arcology quickly armed themselves and banded together to fight off the threat, knowing that although the besieging forces had Heartless on their side, the fact that this was Sora's Arcology empowered them with the ability to handle them just as easily.  
The Quartermasters were so swamped with work, logging who had taken out what, that the Registry dropped everything to lend a hand until it was only them left to arm themselves and join the fray.  
From the view several floors up, the attackers could still be seen, Heartless and human alike. They'd been identified for the most part as the various rogues that had previously hidden out in the Arcology, though their reasons for leaving the upper floors were unknown. Only Axel's rogues remained apart from them, instead joining Axel himself in retrieving members and equipment that needed to be moved before areas were compromised, and aiding with the evacuation efforts.  
Finally Dog made it through to Sora, waiting in one of the hospital wards, which were already inundated with patients.  
Dog pushed through to reach Sora, calling out.  
"Stand aside!" Sora barked, forcing the crowds to let him through. "Just what's going on, Dog?"  
"That's what I came to tell you. King was testing his security system, except it picked up a real alert instead. We're under attack."  
"From who?"  
"Axel's identified them as Heartless and all but his Rogues of the Arcology. There's some unconfirmed reports that some Arcology members have taken arms against us."  
"Sand."  
"And possibly others too. You're not universally liked among your Firsts, you know."  
"Don't remind me. What's being done?"  
"Everyone's up in arms to fend them off. The armouries are almost empty because of the rush. Your people seem rather attached to this place, and don't seem to want to just give it up to any old attacking army."  
"At least that's something. Thanks for getting this to me Dog. You help out too." Dog vanished, not wanting to push through the crowds again. Sora meanwhile turned to Terra and Aqua. "You heard?"  
"Of course," Aqua replied. "Are you asking us to help?"  
"I'll take every advantage I can get if you're willing to chip in."  
"I figure I owe you one for getting me out of the Necropolis, even if I don't have my armour or keyblade back."  
"You had a keyblade there," Terra pointed out.  
"It was a memory of one, not the real thing. I can be more help up here until I get them back."  
"Terra?" Sora asked.  
"I wouldn't miss this for anything. Lead the way, Sora."  
Sora nodded. "I'll get word to you as soon as I've got your stuff back," he told Aqua, taking hold of Terra's shoulder once more to take them further down, back to the facility in the Desert Simulation.  
"Here again?" Terra asked curiously. "I thought we were going to lend a hand with the fighting."  
"We are. But there's something I want to sort out here first. This is where Sand was when we first started to suspect him," he explained, already heading toward the main room. "I wouldn't put it past him to leave something here."  
The main room was deserted. Nothing had been left inside but tables, workbenches and other furniture.  
"Wait," Terra murmured as Sora stepped into the room. "There's something not right here."  
Sora frowned, looking around carefully. Nothing seemed to be out of place. Terra, however, pointed to a circle left on the floor in the middle of the room. It looked like white powder.  
Sora sent a small ball of fire at it, igniting it as he stepped back out, ready to leave quickly if he had to. The powder just burnt out though, leaving scorch marks on the floor.  
"Surely that can't be it," he murmured. "A ring of powder that does nothing?"  
"I've got a bad feeling, Sora."  
"You're not the only one. Wait here."  
"What are you going to do?"  
"Try and trigger any surprises he's left for us," he answered, stepping back into the room, cautiously heading first for the ring, checking the ash of the ring. There didn't seem to be anything special about it, but there was still a nagging feeling something was going to happen.  
Opposite where he'd come in, a single light flickered green in an alcove, belonging to a small panel. The light had been coming from a green button labelled 'Up'.  
A moments hesitation, then Sora pushed it, and jumped back as if expecting something to come at him. Still nothing happened.  
Terra finally decided it was safe, and came in to join him. When he did, the doors closed sharply with a hiss, and something began to click away above them.  
Both of them looked upwards, then followed a creaking sound down to the giant observation window that looked out into the main desert simulation with it's sandstorm. It was starting to creep upwards on it's own.  
Sora tried to say something, but the sudden sound of the sandstorm rushing in drowned him out entirely. It also drowned out the sound of the floor moving aside to allow a hidden elevator to come up into the alcove where he'd pushed the button.  
Normal sound was almost restored when Sora managed to project a barrier over the new hole. The sand now trapped inside dropped quickly without the artificial wind to carry it around.  
"Sand had better be running a long way from here before this attack's broken," Sora fumed.  
"No doubt he has some kind of plan." Terra shook the sand off him.  
"You don't say."  
"Be nice."  
"I'm not having a good enough day to stay nice for long, Terra."  
"Then look there," he pointed at the alcove. "I'd say that might give you reason to stay nice for a bit longer."  
"When did that get there?"  
"Probably when we got sand dumped on us. You know, you really should keep a closer eye on what your people do, Sora. Letting Sand use a place like this probably shouldn't have been allowed."  
"If Roxas' information network gets off the ground, I'll steal it off him to keep an eye on people. Lets find out where that leads."  
"Aren't you worried about any more traps?"  
"I think right now, it's safer to assume the traps should be worried about me," Sora answered, taking the elevator down again. It had only one destination, and it was identical to the room above, but on a smaller scale. In the centre was some kind of stand, about the same height as Terra. One route led away. Three corridors led away, one opposite them, and two on either side. Not a single person was in sight.  
Sora relaxed his hold on the barrier he'd created above, causing the sound of the sandstorm to roar back into life again.  
Terra glanced up, then to him, "A suggestion, Sora."  
"Anything's welcome right now."  
"Do you think you can get back to here if you port away?"  
Sora frowned for a moment, touching one wall, then nodded. "That should do it. Someone had put a block in place, but I've broken it now. I can get back here. What's your suggestion?"  
"You've got a Reliquary full of artefacts, Sora. Why not make use of them? They belong to you as much as the rest of this place does."  
"I've still got to tell them why I'm taking them."  
"Tell them it's for the defence of the Arcology, and that if you don't have them, there's a chance it'll fall to our attackers."  
"You want me to lie to them?"  
"I don't think it'd be a lie. Just a very broad generalization."  
"Point. Wait here then. I'll be back shortly."  
"If it's all the same to you, I'd like to join the main attack."  
Sora shook his head, "You notice some things I miss, Terra. You got a bad feeling before I did upstairs. I'd prefer you to stick around."  
"Fair enough. It's not like I can argue with you."  
"I'll try not to be too long. Don't get in any trouble, will you?"  
"Me? Trouble?" Terra grinned. "Isn't that your department?"  
Sora laughed, disappearing.

_Medical and Research Center_

It was still busy, patients from the attack coming in, getting treated and in many cases being sent straight back as soon as they were ready to go. The flow of new patients didn't stop or slow.  
Aqua paused from lending a hand to glance in on Roxas. He was stood at one window of his room, watching the rushing patients and staff outside.  
"How do you feel?" she asked, closing the door behind her.  
"My arm isn't going to be getting any better, and I've got a load of bruises still, but I'm feeling a little better." He gave a weak smile and added, "And I'm not imagining I'm still back with the Organization either."  
"Good. Care to lend a hand?"  
"I can't use my Keyblades so easily like this," he gestured to the arm still in a sling.  
"How about helping out in another way? The security staff have all been spotted among the patients from the fight, so Sora's friend King is left to run things."  
"King? What does he know about battle tactics?"  
"Not as much as you probably do. Care to help him out?"  
"I'll be right along as soon as you can find any medic to discharge me."  
"Oh, never mind that. I've been helping out, so I count. Go help King."  
"Yes, ma'am," he answered, chuckling as he left to join King.

_Internal Security Office_

King was not at his best, trying to direct their forces, keep watch on the opponents attacks, and counter anything they'd throw at them.  
"Need a hand?" Roxas asked, joining him.  
"If you think you can do better, go ahead."  
"How are things?"  
"Bad. We've lost all the way up to floor fifteen, but there are parts of the third and almost all of the fourth floor that they've left alone entirely. They seem to be cut off from the Arcology proper, which might explain it."  
"What about Sora?"  
"No one's seen or heard from him as yet."  
"What is he doing... I thought he'd be right on the front."  
"Maybe he's up to something?"  
The Arcology shook slightly. A faint crashing sound could be heard.  
"What was that?"  
King worked away, displaying a view of the attackers still outside.  
"Those, I'd say," he pointed. Several large cannons were being constructed, and one had been finished. While they watched, it was reloaded, and fired again, with another shake and crash.  
"How much damage are they doing to the Arcology?"  
King worked away once more. "It's hard to say. There don't seem to be any holes yet. The Arcology seems to have been made from some sturdy stuff."  
"We'll need to keep an eye on it. If they start tearing holes in the walls, it could bring large parts of the Arcology down around us."  
"I think there's still some people unassigned, and a good few people who aren't fit to return to battle. We could get them to shore up the parts under attack, and lend a hand until repairs can be made."  
"Lets hope we don't need them," Roxas replied, steadying himself against a chair as the Arcology shook again.


	23. Chapter 23

_Floor 4  
Sand's hidden facility_

Sora reappeared, wearing a flowing green cloak, and a golden cuff around one wrist, adorned with various gemstones.  
"Elegant," Terra noted. "I assume they do have a purpose, other than making you look silly."  
"Be nice," Sora murmured. "The cloak lets me know exactly who is in whatever area I choose. It pretty much confirms that you, me and Sand are the only ones here."  
"And that?" Terra pointed at the cuff.  
Sora gave a nasty grin. "That's a little surprise I have for Sand."  
"So he's on this floor?"  
"Obviously. He stupidly forgot to block me out, so even my own markings confirmed he's hiding out down here. I borrowed Roxas' database briefly on the way up and had a glance into the details of this facility too."  
"And?"  
"The outside corridors lead to a room at the back, where I presume he is with Aqua's armour. The middle one is his escape route."  
"You've got a plan?"  
"Naturally." He pulled out a third artefact, one that looked like a featureless doll, taking care to hold it by the head. "Keep hold of it below the neck, and it'll create a duplicate of you that'll follow your movements, but mirrored."  
"I get it. I go down one side, the mirror goes the other way, and I chase him out, right?"  
"Go careful though. I don't know if the mirror will have your Keyblade, or how much it'll be able to do." He paused, thought and then added, "Be alert for any more traps."  
"Did you want to tell me how to tie my shoes too?" Terra asked acidly.  
"Sorry. Just wanted to be sure."  
"Stop worrying, Sora. I still have a little magic to back me up if I need it."  
Terra stood in the center of the room, just beyond the empty stand, and took the doll artefact from Sora. When he stepped away, heading for the left route, he seemed to become two with an identical image heading the down the opposite one.  
Sora watched the retreating backs, then leaned on the stand to wait. Impatience almost got the better of him, but he waited, calming himself and planning ahead about what he'd do with Sand afterwards.  
There came muffled voices, then it seemed like a fight had broken out. There was a momentary worry, as he realised he'd forgotten to tell Terra that anything done to the mirror image would also happen to him, but figured Terra could probably handle it.  
There was a series of small booming sounds, then the familiar roar of the sandstorm filtered down.  
The other two routes clanged shut to prevent it being sent down either of them.  
Sora stopped leaning, and made as if there was something on the wall beside the now closed routes.  
The escape door hissed once, then turned around. It was like a single round tube with one access on either side, except the one into the room with Terra was blocked off.  
Sand didn't seem to realise Sora was there at first, hurrying down. Sora didn't look over at him, instead raising the arm with the cuff to point at him with the first two fingers, forming a finger-gun.  
Sand stopped, and for a moment it seemed as if he thought Sora was holding an actual gun to him, but then he realised, and laughed.  
"Was the touch of the real thing too much for you? Or did you just not want to hold something that could kill someone again?"  
"Laugh all you want," Sora told him, still not looking. "You still answer to me. You're not going anywhere. At least not until you tell me why you did it."  
"Then you'll let me go?"  
"Maybe. It depends on what you say." Sand hesitated, so Sora said, "You'll tell me one way or the other. The later you leave it... the harsher the consequences."  
"Harsh? You?"  
"Don't underestimate me, Sand. I may not like doing some things... but I will."  
"Fine. It was Vexen's idea. The rogues belong to him."  
"And the Heartless?"  
"They're controlled by Maleficent, who took up residence in Castle Oblivion."  
"Huh. I wondered why you got off that false trail so quick. What's her involvement?"  
"Rue would be the one to ask. He negotiated the agreement on my behalf."  
"And the goal of all this?"  
"She just has something against you. As to Vexen... ask him."  
"Anything else you want to tell me, Sand?"  
"Like what?"  
"You tell me. You always seem to know."  
"I've already told you everything."  
"Guess what? I don't believe you. Try again, Sand. See if you can be a little more convincing."  
"For everything you've been through, you're still an innocent, you know? You should have left Sephiroth in control."  
"Sephiroth was corrupt, and the Arcology the same way because of it."  
"He had no illusions of making everything perfect like you do."  
"Perfect? I improved things. I never said anything about perfect."  
"You call this improvement? Creating a system so that no one can hide things from each other any more?"  
"If you've nothing to hide, you've nothing to worry about. Or is that your problem with it? What else are you up to, Sand?"  
"I'll never tell you."  
"You'll tell me. Or I'll shoot you."  
"With your fingers? Seriously Sora. Can't you come up with something convincing?"  
Sora looked over at Sand at last, his expression uncharacteristically bleak.  
The gems on the cuff sparkled into life as if a torch was shining out through them, then in a dreadfully quite voice, Sora merely said, "Bang."  
A single bolt of brilliant blue light shot from his fingers to the surprised Sand, throwing him back into the tube that he'd used to escape from Terra. He slumped down against the side, unconscious. With his unconsciousness, the sound of the sandstorm began to fade. When it had subsided entirely, the protective doors re-opened.  
Sora tore off the cuff quickly, wincing. There was a mark where it had been like a burn. He'd known it was going to happen, but had ignored it, and the effects, to achieve the end he wanted.  
Something rattled in the room with Terra, but he ignored it. Terra could handle it.  
After a few moments to collect himself, he checked on Sand to ensure there were no lasting injuries, then took hold of his wrist.  
He hesitated briefly, an unwanted memory surfacing for a moment, but he set himself and sent Sand to the bottom of the rungs, then sent him up to his office. He'd deal with Sand when he woke up again.  
Terra came into view now, pulling on a stand, this time with wheels.  
"Did he get free?"  
"No," Sora answered quietly. "I caught him." He turning, coming back down to where they'd entered, and saw the stand with Aqua's armour on it. "Is that it?"  
"I made sure. Care to give me a hand getting it up to Aqua?"  
"I'll send you right up."  
"You're not coming?"  
"I've got something to do. Get word around. I want Rue to report to my office immediately. Roxas too."  
"Are they in trouble?"  
"That depends on what they say. Not to mention Sand himself," Sora told him, sending Terra up to Aqua, then removing the cloak. He'd return it and the cuff to the Reliquary, get the mark on his wrist checked, then deal with Sand and Rue.

_Medical and Research Center_

The rush had subsided somewhat now, with fewer new patients coming in, and more going out again. Gossip was widespread, and rumours rife. Some said the attackers had been wiped out, others said there were pockets of resistance. Most agreed that the fight had been forced out of the Arcology itself and into the surrounding area.  
Aqua was tending to Seifer, who'd somehow managed to get several deep cuts on one arm.  
"How can you be so calm?" he asked her. "Seeing all these people come through here with all manner of injuries."  
"Getting excited isn't going to do any good. Keep a clear head, and be ready to treat anything."  
He winced as she started to clean the next wound. "Do you have to do that so hard?"  
"Stop being such a baby. You don't want it to get infected do you?"  
"Are you kidding? I hate having to come here anyway, I don't want to have another reason to stop by."  
"Then stop complaining," she told him.  
Terra joined her with one of the medical staff, who took over from her.  
"Can't you carry on treating me?" Seifer asked with a faint grin. "It's not everyday I get seen to by someone with your looks. It might even persuade me to come back when you call for me."  
"Nice try," she told him, turning curiously to Terra. "Is something up?"  
"Guess what we got for you?" He nodded to the nearby waiting area, where the armour was laid out, the keyblade beside it.  
"That was quick. What about Sand?"  
"Sora caught him. Have you seen Rue or Roxas?"  
"Roxas is over in the security office last I heard. No idea on Rue."  
"I'll swing by there and tell him."  
"Tell him what?" Seifer asked, suddenly very interested.  
"Sora wants to see both of them, now if not sooner. He didn't say why."  
"I think I know where Rue should be. I'll look him up for you and get him up to see Sora."  
"I'll go with you," Aqua said. "I want to have a word with him about Ven anyway."  
"I can find him quicker without you," Seifer shook his head. "Roxas can get you there." Then to the doctor beside him. "Are you done?"  
"For now," he was told. "Try to resist the urge to scratch at them or anything."  
"Thanks. Well, I hope to get treated by you again, miss," he said to Aqua, then disappeared.  
"Looks like you've got someone chasing after you," Terra noted.  
"I've got a feeling he's hiding something, and I don't like that."  
"I wonder why."  
"Stop that. Let's go see Roxas."


	24. Chapter 24

_Grandmaster's Office_

The various additional furniture Sora had added to the room had been moved next door, into his actual quarters themselves. The bookcases remained of course, they were a part of the room. His personalised area on the other side was also untouched, but aside from a single chair on the opposite side of his desk, and a single couch along the wall beside the windows, the room was otherwise empty.  
Empty, that was except for him and Sand. Sora had stolen a leaf from Sephiroth's book, and the new first-ranked Sand, still unconscious for now, was laid out on the stone floor beside the desk.  
Unlike Sephiroth, he hadn't done anything to conceal Sand's identity, nor had he assigned anyone to take his place – yet. Until he did, everyone under Sand was temporarily under his direct control, just as if he was a First.  
One of the seldom-seen personal guards he had quietly entered, giving him a crisp salute.  
"Grandmaster, you have guests awaiting your attention," he murmured. "The Advisor Roxas, the First Axel, Fifth rank Seifer, first-rank Rue, and the visitors Terra and Aqua. They all request to see you."  
"Is the waiting room ready?"  
"Always, Grandmaster."  
"Take them there, and then bring Rue to me. Escort each of them from the room to here and out from here afterwards."  
"Understood. Will that be all?"  
"Yes. See to it."  
Another salute, and he turned sharply to leave. Sora didn't make use of his guards often. Most of the time, they protected the Grandmaster's personal labs, a place Sephiroth had set up many unusual, and probably risky, experiments. Until they wound around to Sora's attention, he wasn't going to let anyone in without him around.  
They were all fiercely loyal, not exactly to him, but to whoever held the position. They answered to no one else, and were never questioned. It was exceptionally rare to see them lower down in the Arcology, and if they were seen it would be seen as a sign something serious was going on. He'd never needed to do that yet, and hoped he never would.  
While he waited, he returned to the inevitable mass of paper over his desk. No matter how many times he tried to clear it, it always seemed to come back. Until King got the last of his system finished, he'd have to put up with it as usual.  
As he began to write a response to one of them, Sand stirred. Just as Sora had when it had been him there, the first thing he did was reach up to confirm the marking of his new rank, the collar that marked all first ranks.  
"You won't find any marks of your previous rank," Sora told him, not looking up from his work. "Which is the only change I bothered to make for now."  
Sand sat up slowly, rolling his shoulders to ease out an ache he seemed to have.  
"How long was I out for?"  
"Not long. A couple hours."  
"What am I here for?"  
"You're here to listen, not to talk. Not yet, anyway." Sora paused in his writing to jab at the couch with the pen. "Sit down, and don't talk unless you're told to."  
Sand looked surprised for a few moments, but did as told. As a first rank now, he didn't have any choice. Sora felt a little guilt for taking advantage of that to force him to listen to what was going to be said and not interrupt, but also privately admitted it was useful. He did make a brief note reminding him to look into the situation later, and make things a little less hard on the first-ranks. He'd been one once himself, and found he hadn't liked it. His view hadn't changed since then, but he'd never gotten around to doing anything major about it yet.  
The guard returned, pausing by the door to announce, "The first-rank, Rue." He showed Rue in, then stood to attention, blocking the doorway. He appeared to notice that Sora didn't want unwanted guests, and had taken up this position to prevent that – and unexpected escapes.  
Rue spotted Sand, and his former First's new rank, looking nervous as he took the remaining chair. Sand gnawed on one lip, looking no less nervous.  
Sora, as he often did when he sent for anyone, pretended not to notice at first and finished writing the response he'd been working on.  
He didn't show it, but he was no less nervous. He was about to start an investigation himself, and see it through himself, like a trial where he would be judge, jury and the metaphorical – he hoped – executioner. It meant using more of his authority than he liked to use.  
He kept it well hidden however, setting his work aside and resting his chin on his hands, facing Rue.  
"You know why you are here?"  
"You sent for me, Grandmaster," Rue answered.  
"Obviously. You know why I did that?" Rue glanced once over at Sand. "Yes. That's right. Tell me about the agreement you negotiated between Sand and Maleficent."  
"I promised her I wouldn't talk about it."  
"Maleficent is not subject to the Arcology. You, however are. Tell me the details," he repeated.  
"It began before you came to the Arcology. Sand received word that we could take control of Heartless, and discovered by accident that if there is another force controlling them, they are protected from their normal end. They should have disappeared when you defeated Xemnas with Riku, but the controlled ones did not."  
"How does that relate?"  
"Maleficent took note, and asked us to give some to her. In exchange, she agreed to assist us at an unspecified time with them."  
"And she had Castle Oblivion at this time?"  
"No Grandmaster, I understand that came after we gave her the Heartless she wanted. It was not part of the agreement, but I passed her the information confirming it was vacant, and she took up residence there."  
"When did you and Sand first call on her?"  
By this point, Sand was looking pale and even more worried, now gnawing on a knuckle instead.  
"Grandmaster Sephiroth called on Sand to provide the Heartless that you led the attack on at Twilight Town."  
"So Sephiroth did not have direct control?"  
"No Grandmaster. He was to be allowed through at will, and made out that he was the one controlling them, but it was in actual fact Maleficent. Her Heartless were decimated, and she was quite... vociferous about it. It was then that she insisted Pete work with me."  
"I see. What next?"  
"Sand removed an artifact from the Reliquary, and used it to revive the Nobody Vexen."  
"What happened to that artifact?"  
"It was returned after use. Vexen had and still has no idea it was Sand that revived him. He was pushed toward attempting to bring out Xemnas from the Arcology's Kingdom Heart."  
"Why?"  
"It was Sand's thought that Xemnas, being formed from and therefore part of the Arcology, would be able to overpower you. As it would be Sand that ultimately caused you to fall, the Grandmaster's position would be his. He has sought it since he became a First under Sephiroth's rule."  
"And the removal of Aqua's armour from the Reliquary?"  
Rue hesitated, then asked, "May I speak freely, Grandmaster?" Sora nodded, and he continued, "It was a poorly thought out idea, with the intentions of reviving Aqua. In Sand's plan, the revived Aqua would swear allegiance to him as thanks for bringing her back, and he would then use her to locate the comatose body of Ventus, and in turn brining that close to you so you would lose Ventus' Heart, and he incorrectly believed that would deprive you of the ability to use your Keyblade, making you easier for him to challenge and bring down."  
"What about the attack on the Arcology?"  
"It was an attempt to distract you long enough to get her armour somewhere safer. He employed the use of Swordsman's Seifer in order to train the rogues among the attack, hoping that by teaching them how to combat you, they would be able to overrun enough of the Arcology to force you to surrender."  
Sand buried his head in his hands as his plans had been sharply jerked out into the light.  
"Why did you not say anything?" Sora asked next.  
"I did, but my concerns were ignored, and I was told to keep them to myself."  
"And your concerns were?"  
"Everything we knew about Aqua suggested that she would not work for him. As he could not bring her into the Arcology without your being notified, he couldn't risk forcing her into it. I believe that Ventus would also not turn on you after bearing his Heart for so long."  
"And the keyblade? Why did he think I wouldn't be able to use it?"  
"There was no Inheritance Ceremony from him to you. Aqua accidentally caused one for Kairi, and Terra performed one for Riku, but there was none for you. However, as you needed to wield one, the Keyblade would not accept his Heart in lieu of yours, it had to be you and your Heart. When you agreed to take his Heart, I believe he gave you the ability just as if the Ceremony had been made."  
"So if Aqua led me to Ventus, and he took his Heart back, I would still be able to take up my keyblade?"  
"I believe so."  
Sora took this in, writing several notes, then turned back to him.  
"There is another matter I have to discuss with you. You know what it is."  
"My continued resistance to be raised in rank."  
"Exactly. Do you remember what I told you when I last came to you about this?"  
"You told me that everyone has to step up and take responsibility sometime."  
"You have that chance now. Those previously under Sand have no replacement First as yet. You will take up his place."  
"But-" Rue began to protest, but Sora held up a hand to silence him.  
"It will not be permanent, at first. You'll be on a one month trial. There will be no other changes to the ranks, only your ascension to Sand's previous position. I want to see you try to do this, and I don't want to see you deliberately doing badly just to get back down in rank again."  
"Thank you for the offer, but I don't want it."  
"It's not an offer, or a request. It's what's going to happen. When you leave this room, you will have replaced Sand. Understand?"  
Rue sighed, but answered, "Yes, Grandmaster. May I go now?"  
"Without taking the markings of your new rank? Nice try."  
He took Rue's wrist, updating his markings and rank. The collar vanished, replaced with the pure black eyes all Firsts had. Sora had hoped that removing the taint on their Kingdom Hearts would change that, but apparently not.  
"Will that be all?" Rue asked afterwards.  
"You can go. I suggest you talk with your Second and decide what needs to be done." He raised his voice slightly, and to the guard he said, "Bring in Seifer next."  
"At once," he snapped to attention, ensuring Rue had left before he too left.  
"I'm guessing if I asked, you'd tell me it wasn't personal."  
"It wasn't at first, Grandmaster," Sand answered. "But I disagreed with many of the changes you've made, making it difficult for me to keep my plans going without them being seen, so it became personal."  
"Did you really think Aqua would do what you wanted?"  
"I thought I could persuade her if I told her a slightly edited version of events."  
"You mean lie to her."  
Sand said nothing, but his expression confirmed it.  
Sora turned back to the work on the desk again, giving him an excuse to make Seifer wait, just as he had done for Rue.  
The guard returned, announcing, "The Fifth-rank, Seifer."  
Unlike Rue, Seifer showed no sign he knew anything was wrong. Instead of taking the seat, he leaned on the back of it instead. Sand tried to make warning gestures to him while Sora appeared to be working.  
"Don't think I didn't see that," Sora told him, not looking up. Sand looked chagrined.  
Sora finished reading, scribbling another brief note, then gestured to the chair.  
"I'll stand, thanks," Seifer said.  
"If you insist. You know why you're here?"  
"Do enlighten me, Sora."  
"Rue confirmed for me that you assisted the rogues that made up the attack on the Arcology. Why?"  
"I was asked to," he shrugged. "After you and Roxas devastated the rogues that were going after King Mickey, Sand didn't seem to think they could stand up to either of you if you took a personal hand in the attack. I've picked up a fair bit under Swordsman, so I passed on the useful points to them."  
"What was in it for you?"  
"Strangely enough, we never got around to discussing that," glanced at Sand. "He seemed more interested in handling you than coming to any agreement."  
"Alright. So what was your interest in helping him in the first place?"  
"I felt like it. The task Swordsman had me on was getting boring, and I needed a break. Roxas approved that break, though he thought I'd gone into Twilight Town."  
"Except instead you trained the rogues."  
"Pretty much. I was looking forward to seeing how you dealt with them, after I got word Roxas had broken an arm and was out of action, except you never showed up. You're terribly disappointing like that, you know."  
Sora considered this for a few moments, then decided.  
"I think I can let you off with a warning this time. Don't get involved in anything against me again though."  
"Me? Would I do that?"  
"You just admitted to doing it once."  
"True. I'll think about it. Anything else?"  
"No. You can go. Who's left?" he asked the guard.  
"Advisor Roxas and the First Axel, who wish to see you together, and the visitors Terra and Aqua, who also wish to see you together," he answered.  
"I'll see Roxas and Axel next."


	25. Chapter 25

_Waiting area_

Roxas fidgeted impatiently. He'd discarded his usual outfit for a change, and instead nicked an idea from Sora. Sora had been seen periodically sporting Roxas' usual style, so now he'd decided it was time he returned the favour. While Sora's favoured look might have looked alright on him, on Roxas it didn't quite seem to fit so well, something Axel had pointed out to him several times. Roxas ignored the comments though.  
"What is taking so long?" he burst out finally. "He never normally keeps people waiting."  
"Obviously he found a reason," Axel told him, sprawled out. Though none of the others present had ever met his complete being, he'd evidently decided to discard the Organization robe, the last reminder of his time with Organization XIII, and returned to the style he'd had before becoming a Nobody. He'd decided it was about time he put the it all behind him, and move on to what he had now, not what he used to have.  
"Yeah," Roxas answered, "But what?"  
"Oh, sit down and be patient. He'll get around to us when he's ready."  
"Probably be after you two," he nodded to Terra and Aqua moodily.  
"Is what you've got to tell him really so important that it can't wait?" Aqua asked him with an arched eyebrow.  
"Well... no..." he faltered, then stopped entirely as the guard returned.  
"Advisor Roxas; First Axel, come with me," he told them curtly. "He wishes to see you now."  
"About time too," Roxas grumbled. "What took him so long?" The guard didn't reply. "Hey! I asked you a question! You could at least answer."  
"It is not my place to divulge the Grandmaster's affairs without his consent," he replied calmly. "My orders are to act as an escort and fetch his visitors as he requires at present, no more."  
He stopped them just outside the door, announced them, showed them in and then stood guard at the door.  
Sora was naturally attempting to make a dent in his workload again, and finished the piece he was seeing to before turning to them. Sand, now wearing the distinctive collar of a first-rank, in the same sandy-yellow colour as beach sand, was seated on a couch by the window. He looked part afraid, and seemed to be having trouble trying to decide what he was meant to do. Sora didn't seem to have given him any orders, though Roxas privately thought he'd probably been told something along the lines of 'Sit! Stay!'  
"I was going to ask for both of you anyway," he said to Roxas, "But since you both wanted to see me, I can handle it at the same time. What did you want?"  
"There's a problem with Zexion's offer," Axel told him. "We looked back into the records from the Organization, and what our complete beings did to become Nobodies. We worked directly on the Heart, and what we did was completely irreversible. Me, Zexion and Vexen are permanently Nobodies."  
"There's more," Roxas added. "If we apply our methods to the remaining Heartless and restore them, the borrowed Hearts the three of them have would have to be returned."  
"What about you?" Sora asked him.  
"I performed a few checks on myself. Somehow, I seem to be growing a Heart of my own."  
"Do you think it's possible for them to grow one too?"  
"In theory. I'd have to get some people to work on it a bit to figure it out."  
"Axel, you know how to find Zexion again?"  
Axel nodded, "You want me to let him know?"  
"Tell him we might be able to help him grow a new Heart too. Anything else?"  
"I don't think so. How about you, Roxas?"  
"Just what Sora wanted us for originally."  
Sora turned back to Axel. "Find me Vexen. I need to speak to him. He's not subject to the Arcology, so I can't just call on him whenever."  
"Is that all?"  
Sora nodded, pulling out a thin folder and handing it to Roxas.  
"You sent me this a while ago," he said. "The details of all rogues and rogue members. Not all of them were working for Sand. Those that were, get some people to question them, then get them out of my Arcology. They renounced membership once, so if they want it again they can apply for it."  
"What about the remaining rogue members?"  
"Track them down, bring them up to speed, find out if they still oppose me. Use your judgement then to decide if it's safe to release them back into the Arcology, or if they need rehab or anything else." He paused for a moment, thought, then added, "Since the Arcology doesn't move around any more, I want to abolish taking people in entirely, and replace it with applying to be a part of it."  
"You know there's a problem with that, since we still haven't figured out if we can take it back again afterwards."  
"I know. Just let any applicants know about that problem until we manage to deal with it. I don't like it, but it's better than nothing."  
"Anything else?"  
Sora thought for a few moments, then more to Axel, "Pool all the information you can get on Castle Oblivion, especially after the Organization left it vacant. At some point, Aqua and I are going to have to go there to wake up Ventus, and I'd like to know what we're up against."  
"I've got a better idea," Roxas said. "I'm not entirely sure how it works, but I think I have some connection to Ventus as well. Why not let me take his Heart for you?"  
"The last time you went off to try and do something for me, you ended up like that," he pointed at Roxas' arm. "Not to mention making me go somewhere I didn't want to be just to retrieve you afterwards. No, I'll do this one myself. You've got plenty to be getting on with anyway."  
"Thanks," Roxas said sarcastically. "Just what I wanted."  
"You want to know how I've been managing it?"  
"Do tell me your secret management tip."  
"Delegate," Sora grinned. "It works wonders. You two get to work," he told them, then to the guard, "Terra and Aqua now, and pass my apologies for making them wait so long."  
"At once, Grandmaster," he replied, guiding Roxas and Axel out again.

After they'd left, Sora looked over his desk. Now he could see it again, that was. It was surprising just how easy it was to clear it up now he had things running the way he wanted them to.  
A neat stack of responses lay in one tray, waiting to be taken to the various departments and persons who'd sent them.  
"Sand," Sora said, gesturing him over. "I want you to take these down and deliver them to their respective recipients."  
"What should I do afterwards?"  
"Come back up here. I don't fully trust you at the moment, and it'll make a change to have someone I can get to run errands for me. You can earn my trust again first, and then we'll see about earning your way back up the ranks. You won't, however, be allowed to become a Second or above again without my specifically saying so."  
"I understand. Is there anything else?"  
"No," Sora answered, handing over the contents of the tray. "Go to work."  
With obvious reluctance, Sand replied, "Yes, Master," and turned to leave.  
"Sand. Don't call me that. I have a name."  
"Sorry Sora. I didn't know you wanted me to use it instead."  
"Now you do. Go on."  
After Sand left, he remembered something, and began to brainstorm ideas that would make things just a little easier on the first-ranks, starting with abolishing the silly 'master' nonsense. It was degrading, for a start.  
Unlike the previous work he'd been doing, when Terra and Aqua were announced, he set it aside instead.  
"Let me guess," he greeted them. "You think while it's quiet, it'd be a good time to go wake up Ventus?"  
"He must be a mind-reader on top of everything else," Terra murmured to Aqua.  
"He could at least give us a chance to tell him," she replied. "Actually Sora, we were wondering when you were planning on heading over to do just that."  
"I've sent Roxas off to collect information so we know what to expect, and to see if I can find exactly where Ventus is."  
"I know where he is," Aqua told him. "You wouldn't be able to reach him without me. I saw to that when I created the place."  
"Well, that's one mystery solved. You could have told me earlier."  
"You never asked."

_Dark Meridian_

Ansem had vanished, leaving behind only the black robe he'd been wearing. Aqua had then taken that, and also disappeared, headed for the Necropolis.  
Jamie cleared up the small, well-concealed camp he'd made, tidied up the evidence he'd been here, then he too disappeared, headed for the Dark Arcology of the past.  
At first glance, it didn't seem that much different to Sora's Arcology, but there were subtle hints here and there. People weren't seen talking so openly, instead keeping in small groups, few people went around alone, and first-rankers were either keeping well out of sight, or getting the abuse that seemed to go with their position. At this point, Sora had not yet come to the Arcology, and so none of his reforms had taken place.  
It was risky for him to be here, as the Arcology's records would show he wasn't a member yet despite the markings that proclaimed him otherwise. Getting caught and found out would be a risk he'd have to take, but his examination of the records before coming here had shown no sign of anything of the sort. It gave him confidence, but he was wary not to let that get the better of him. The past, he knew from dealing with Alex, could be altered.  
He made his way up to the floors owned by Swordsman, near the middle of the Arcology. Even now, they held the majority of the Arcology's armouries, not to mention rooms with all kinds of equipment designed to aid in training with the various weapons. Most were meant for swordsmanship however, as that was Swordsman's focus. It wouldn't be until after Jamie met him the first time that he'd branch out.  
Swordsman was not his intended target, however. He made a few brief enquires of Rue along the way to find the room he wanted, knocking the door and waiting.  
"Come in," Seifer's voice called back. "I don't know you," he said, seeing Jamie as he entered.  
"I know. You know someone called Sora."  
"Yeah. What about him?"  
"Have you considered suggesting him for being taken into the Arcology?"  
"Sora? Give it up. He'd never do it."  
"If he's taken he doesn't get a choice though."  
"I can't see him liking it."  
"He doesn't have to though. Just think what could be done if the Arcology had him on it's side."  
Seifer considered it, then looked back at him.  
"Just who are you?"  
"Never mind that. You'll see me again in time. Think about it, Seifer. What's the worst that could happen?"  
Seifer almost answered, but Jamie disappeared on him, heading back down again to the floors owned by Axel. Or that would become owned by him eventually, as right now their owner was Merle, the First who would bring him in.  
He met Dog just outside the quarters for Merle's people, still a first rank at this point in the past. It was strange seeing him act that way again, knowing what he'd become.  
"I'm looking for your First," he told Dog. "Perhaps you can tell me where to find her?"  
"She's asked not to be disturbed, Master," Dog answered. "Perhaps I can take a message?"  
"Tell her to keep an eye on the people being brought in, especially for someone named Sora. I believe he'll be worth a great deal to her if she can win the right to bring them in."  
"May I ask why him?"  
"Read up on him yourself. No doubt she'll want background on him anyway. He's a significant sort of person, so you'll have no trouble finding him. I must be going though," he told Dog, then again disappeared, this time headed back to Timeless River at last.  
He arrived in time to see Sora make his original visit with Donald and Goofy, and quickly took cover so he wouldn't be seen. While they were distracted with the Pete native to this world, he took the opportunity to slip back to his own time. He'd done all he needed to for now.


	26. Chapter 26

_Floor 119 – Educational faculties__  
Junior Learning  
Classroom 2_

One of the parts of the Arcology that showed the least changes was, as usual, a riot.  
Though it's outward appearance changed little, except for the occasional change in displayed works, what was learned had varied wildly at times in the past. Under Sephiroth, and by extension Sora, it had begun to come closer to many education systems outside.  
The rioting just happened to be the average behaviour of the children during recess.  
Watching from the classroom windows out into the yard – if it could still be called that while inside the Arcology – stood Sora and one of the teachers, a tall woman who reminded Sora of Merle when he'd first met her, except she wore a light blue instead.  
"I remember when I used to be that young," Sora mused. "It seems like so long ago."  
"It's always the way. Are you sure you want to do this Grandmaster?"  
"Why wouldn't I?"  
"Have you ever tried teaching kids?" he asked with a sly look. "You can go against all the monsters you like, but I guarantee it's nothing compared to some of the terrors you'll find here."  
"Oh, I don't know about that... I've never found anything to scare me off yet."  
"We'll see. You might want to go ahead and hide. Recess will be ending soon."  
Sora nodded, disappearing into a small storage room. It wasn't by mistake he chose it, though he'd readily admit he could have picked a better place to lie in wait. It did have all he'd need though.  
The bell outside rang, and the sounds of play died down into chatter as they all headed for their respective classrooms.  
There were several minutes of chatter, and not a few sounds indicating some games had made it into the classroom before the teacher rapped on the desk for attention. It was ignored once, but heeded the second time.  
"Are we all here?" she asked. There was a pause, then she continued, "It looks like we are."  
"What are we learning about today, miss Katie?" one young voice squeaked.  
"She told us yesterday," another said. "It was something about other worlds, wasn't it?"  
"You're right," Katie answered. "But would you believe that I forgot to bring what I'd need?" she asked in mock dismay. Sora quietly picked up a metal bucket from the floor, and a broom in the other hand. "What am I going to do now?"  
The bucket was dropped, and the broom knocked against the walls. He made a few sounds as if he was caught in something, then waited.  
"What could that be?" Katie asked, pretending to be puzzled. "Samuel, would you open the door there and see?"  
"What if it's a monster?" someone, he guessed might be Samuel, asked nervously. "It might be waiting to eat me."  
Sora kicked the bucket, and called out, "Ouch!" He hadn't really been hurt, of course.  
"I don't think a monster would do that, Sam."  
A few moments wait later, and the door was opened. Sora pretended to stumble out, blinking in the sudden light, then looked down to Samuel, who was looking slightly afraid.  
"Well, hello there. Thank you for letting me out of there. It was terribly dark."  
"What were you doing in there?" he asked Sora.  
"It's the strangest thing. I was trying to reach my office, but somehow I must have made a mistake and appeared in there by accident."  
The boy took his wrist, turning it over and around to look at the markings, then he jumped back, eyes wide.  
"Who is it?" Katie asked.  
"It's him!" Sam stuttered, more out of excitement. "It's our Grandmaster!"  
Sora gave an exaggerated sigh, "And I try so hard to keep it quiet too, but it looks like you've discovered me."  
"My, my," Katie murmured. "Imagine that. Do you think if we asked him, he might agree to stay with us for a while?"  
"Oh, I couldn't do that," Sora shook his head. "I've got a lot to do you know. It's a busy job for me."  
Almost at once, they all started asking him to stay. Over the cacophony of calls, he raised a hand and they began to quieten down again.  
"But what would I do?" he asked them.  
"You could teach us instead," one suggested.  
"You could tell us stories of what you've done," another put in.  
There was quiet for a few moments, then a third voice, somewhat sceptically asked, "Did you _really_ fight against a giant bit of seaweed?"  
"How did you know about that?"  
"Dad told me about it. He said you looked greener then grass did afterwards."  
"It took me ages to get clean again after that, did you know?"  
"Would you tell us what happened?" There was a brief chorus suggesting they all wanted to hear this.  
"It's not really all that interesting a tale," he protested mildly, but then they all seemed to insist on hearing it afterwards.  
Sora finally nodded, leaning against one wall as he waited for them to quieten down again, then began, "This all happened some time ago, back before I became the Grandmaster. I'd been asked to go to this ship..." and launched into a slightly embellished version of his tale on the Destined Star.

_Castle Oblivion  
Chamber of Waking_

The throne room was now a large blue-white room, empty but for the single remaining throne and it's occupant. Aqua glanced back, seeing Ventus on the throne. She nodded to him, then headed for Radiant Garden.  
For a few moments, nothing stirred. Then Jamie appeared once more, stepping out from behind the throne. He looked after Aqua for a few moments, then down to Ventus thoughtfully.  
After a few moments he seemed to reach a conclusion, and returned behind the throne to settle in for a longer wait.

_Present-day_

The blue-white room remained untouched. Symbols of the Keyblade Master were embossed on the walls, almost seeming to hang in the air  
In the centre of the room lay the ornate throne, far larger than it's single comatose occupant. He sat half slumped to one side, feet only just hanging out over the edge of the seat. His head was laid against one side of the throne.  
In his untroubled, unknowing sleep, he stirred just faintly.  
"Sora," he murmured, then fell silent.  
"He's coming," Jamie's voice murmured sleepily from behind the throne. "Just a little longer."  
With a slight scrape, his spear fell down into view. It took a few moments for him to realise what had happened, quickly retrieving it and pulling it back out of sight again. He took a glance out from behind the throne as he did so, noting that as usual it was exactly the same. No one here yet. In due time though.

_Twilight Town  
Ansem's Mansion_

Axel quietly made his way through the deserted mansion to the rooms Zexion and Vexen had set aside to stay in. No one seemed to have objected to their taking up residence here. Most probably most people didn't know it had residents again.  
He opened one door slowly, glancing in. Vexen stood at the window talking very quietly to someone else. Axel attempted to listen in.  
"He'll be along," Vexen's voice came to him. "I guarantee it."  
"How can you be sure?"  
"He has the other two with him. They'll no doubt want their friend back."  
"And the setting once he's there?"  
"I'll have it seen to. You know those there won't be real though."  
"They don't need to be. As long as they can do what I need."  
"Theoretically possible, but for people like you, hard to say."  
"Get me in then. I'll lead personally."  
"And what will you do when Sora discovers you're not just someone's memory?"  
"What if he does? Leave him to me, Vexen. You worry too much."  
"Someone has to."  
"Just how do you plan to set the scene, Vexen? These 'memories' you're going to be using don't exist."  
"Don't be so sure. I know someone who can provide what I need."  
"I hope you're..." the second, unrecognised voice trailed off. Axel closed the door silently, but continued to listen.  
"What?"  
"There's someone else here."  
"It's just Zexion. I told you he'd be here."  
"No. There's a third person here."  
"You?"  
"Don't be absurd."  
"You'd better go then, before whoever it is hears you."  
There was no sound, no sense that the unknown person had gone, but there was no further discussion. Axel continued on, letting himself into Zexion's room and cautiously shaking him lightly awake. He wasn't certain how Zexion would take being woken.  
"It's the middle of the night," he murmured irritably, still half asleep. "What do you want?"  
"I had a word with Sora," Axel replied, keeping quiet himself. "There's a problem with the offer you made him."  
"Couldn't it wait until morning?"  
"I thought you'd want to know."  
"What then?"  
"I dug up some old records about what we did to become Nobodies. We didn't exactly lose our Hearts, and so far everything indicated that it's irreversible."  
"You woke me up for that?"  
"There's more. Roxas has begun to grow his own Heart. He thinks he might be able to find a way for the three of us to grow new ones if he can figure out how it happened to him."  
"Fascinating. Do you suppose you could go away now? I'm trying to sleep here."  
"Just one more thing. Rox doesn't trust Vexen, but he does trust you, and you know a lot about Hearts. He wants to ask for your help."  
"Tell him to stop by in the morning then," Zexion replied, pulling the covers over his head. "Now go away."  
Axel left him, and thought before leaving the mansion. Instead of going directly back to the Arcology, he returned to Vexen's room. He was doing a rather poor impression of someone sleeping.  
"Are you awake?" Axel murmured to him, putting one hand to his shoulder. With any luck, Vexen wouldn't notice the tracker tag he'd just attached to it.  
"I was," he answered, sounding a little too awake to be convincing. "What are you doing here?"  
"Passing on a message. Sora's looking for you."  
"Me? What for?"  
"He didn't say. He'd been talking with Rue, Sand and Seifer just before he told me to find you."  
In the darkness, Vexen looked troubled. Axel's eyes had adjusted to the low light however, and he could tell what Vexen didn't think he could.  
"Tell him I'll stop by when I get the chance."  
"I'll pass it on. Don't take too long though. Last time I saw him, he'd managed to clear his desk, and if he doesn't have any work to do, he might decide to come looking for you himself."  
"A clear desk? Are you sure you were in Sora's office?"  
"Unlikely as it sounds, I'm certain. I've got to get back though. You know where to find me."  
"Naturally. Floor 20, Sora's Arcology. If you're working, in the gardens. Why there?"  
"Roxas did his work there, and he did it because Sora did. It's grown to be a habit. I'll leave you to pretend to sleep," he added, leaving.


	27. Chapter 27

_Sora's Arcology__  
Classroom 2_

Sora had finished telling stories for the day. The kids had objected when they were reminded that they should learn something, but a few words from him and the promise to stay and help out persuaded them.  
Not long after though, someone else came in, and headed straight to him.  
"Sorry to bother you Grandmaster," he murmured. "But there's been an incident that needs your attention. An artifact has been stolen from the Reliquary."  
"When did this happen?" Sora quietly asked back.  
"Just minutes ago. The one in charge sent me down to inform you. He's making sure it's only the one artefact we're missing."  
"Tell him I'll be along in a few minutes."  
He nodded, then left the room before disappearing.  
The class was silent, eyes on him.  
"It looks like I've got to leave you," he told them. "Seems I can't put my work off for too long before it comes looking for me."  
"Will you come by again and tell us more stories sometime?"  
"I think I might be able to find some time to visit you all again. Be good," he told them, then he also left, not directly to the Reliquary itself, remembering Adam's warning, but to the floor below.  
The Reliquary was in uproar when he got there. Custodians were rushing around all over the place, checking to ensure everything was there, then rechecking again because they all wanted to verify what the others had done.  
Adam continued to man the desk, calmly watching the commotion.  
"Rushing around is for the young," he told Sora on seeing him. "I let them have all the fun."  
"Fun? This is fun?"  
"It is for me," he chortled. "I get to see them verify what I already know. Nothing goes out of here without my knowing about it."  
"Even when it's stolen?"  
"Even then. I even managed to get a look at the thief," he said, handing over a small image.  
"Vexen's beginning to get on my nerves," Sora muttered, seeing him clearly in it. "What does the artefact do?"  
"It has restorative powers, and has a limited capability to bring back the dead. It has a tendency to be somewhat unpredictable about it, which tends to put most people off trying to use it."  
Sora remembered Rue had mentioned just such an artefact earlier.  
"Did this get taken out a while back, by Sand or someone under him?"  
"How did you know?"  
"Vexen was brought back by it. I wonder what he wants with it so badly he couldn't just ask?"  
"This Vexen... is he an outsider?"  
"Outsider? Oh, I see. No, he's not one of us."  
"That may be why. Outsiders aren't allowed into the Reliquary."  
"How did he get in?"  
"A dark corridor," Adam shrugged.  
"How do you know about them?"  
"My dear boy, I've been in charge of this place for a long time. I learn a great deal from the artefacts alone, and even more when I research them to find out more. I know a great deal more than I seem to. You, for example, have a Nobody who can still use the dark powers he obtained while a part of Organization XIII, but due to a conflict between them and the Arcology's Kingdom Hearts, they won't work. I also know you'll want these," he added, handing over two artefacts. One was the cuff he'd used on Sand, the other was a similar cuff, but in plain silver with the symbol of an eye engraved into it, accented in a deep purple.  
"And if I ask what for...?"  
"You're going to Castle Oblivion," he shrugged. "The golden cuff you already know about. The silver one will prevent you being affected by it, and in turn prevent your memories from influencing what it shows. Conveniently, it also works for anyone with you, provided you don't take more than four people with you."  
"What's the catch to it? I know about that one," he pointed at the golden cuff, then at the still-visible mark it had left on his wrist. "But the other?"  
"I can't confirm this," Adam warned, taking a sheet from one of the custodians, who promptly rushed off again. "But it's reckoned to have belonged to a group with strange abilities. They always seem to know when it moves around outside the Arcology, and inevitably show up to try and reclaim it again. We've never figured out how they do it."  
"What group?"  
"We've never managed to get a name, though rumours suggest that they call themselves 'the collective' when they're encountered."  
"I wonder if Roxas has anything on them."  
"No. I looked already. Your Arcology-wide network was finished not long ago."  
"Is it just me, or do you know more than I do about my own Arcology?"  
"I just have too much time and not much to do with it," he grinned. "I'll even let you know of anything interesting I happen across once I've figured out how to send it up to you. You'd better get going though. This Vexen probably isn't going to stay in any one place, and you've still got to go to Castle Oblivion."  
"I know. Thanks, Adam."  
"It's what I do," he shrugged. "Don't forget to take your friends."  
"As if I would," Sora answered, leaving the Reliquary on foot before returning to his office. He'd barely had a chance to set the two artefacts in one draw of the desk for safekeeping, when there was a knock at the door. "Come on in," he told them.  
Rue let himself in, followed by someone he didn't know, wearing a dark purple shirt, matching pants and a serious expression. What caught Sora's eye though was the symbol emblazoned on his shirt – an eye. The symbol, and the colour of the shirt matched the one on the artefact Adam had given him.  
"Sorry to bother you," Rue began. "But the Registry insisted I bring this visitor up to you."  
Sora turned to the visitor.  
"And you are?"  
"I am Rai Kun, a representative of the Muren Collective."  
"And what does the collective want?"  
"We've come to warn you, Grandmaster. Do not go to Castle Oblivion."  
"Why not?"  
"If you go there, we will be forced to take steps to counter you."  
"Let me get this straight. You're threatening to stop me if I do?"  
"The Collective does not wish to to stand against you Grandmaster, but if you go there, you will leave us no choice but to oppose you." He paused, thinking for a moment then added, "The Collective also demands that all artefacts belonging to us are returned to our possession."  
"What's it worth to you?"  
"This is not a negotiation. You will return our artefacts."  
"Or what?"  
"Then we will take them by force if necessary. We would also consider it our obligation to retrieve all other artefacts that have been stolen from others and return them to their rightful places and owners."  
"Make any attempt to remove an artefact from the Reliquary and you'll find out just what I can do."  
"Your threat is duly noted. Our demands remain."  
"I don't see any reason to give in to your demands, or to take your threat seriously," he told Rai in a chilly tone, then turned to Rue. "Get him out of my Arcology."  
"At once," Rue replied, taking hold of Rai by the shoulder.  
They both vanished, but not before Rai had gotten the last word. "We will always be there to stop you, Grandmaster Sora. You will no longer be able to take artefacts unchecked."  
Sora thought for a few moments after his disappearance. It was true, he'd never looked into exactly how many of the artefacts were retrieved, and a great many probably had been stolen. There were simply too many of them to go through them all and send them back, and in any case it was probably safer for everyone if they were kept here, instead of being freely available to everyone, where people could steal them from one another. Aladdin and the Genie's lamp was a perfect example of that. Jafar would stop at nothing to get his hands on it. Without the Heartless around in their world though, he concluded that Aladdin and the Genie could handle that themselves, and there was no real point to taking that artefact. Other artefacts though, such as the golden cuff he'd used, that was dangerous in the wrong hands, and better kept here.  
Then there was the silver cuff, and the claim by this Muren Collective that it was theirs, and that there were other artefacts of theirs here. Was it worth examining the records and finding out how they'd been obtained, and were they safe to return to the Collective?  
Almost absently, while he was thinking he hit one of the blank walls, and an announcement went out in his voice from it.  
"Visitors Terra, Aqua, Riku and Kairi, please come to the Grandmaster's Office," it called. Terra and Aqua, like the rest of his friends, had been granted special status allowing them to come up without needing a First. Some at the Registry had told him it was favouritism, to which he'd replied, "Yes, it is. So what?" He'd received a few disapproving looks from it, but no further comments. They were his friends, and this was his Arcology. There wasn't any point in dragging a First up here every time they wanted to see him.  
While he waited, he made use of King's newly finished network and the computer added to his desk. He may not have liked them, or been skilled with them, but as long as it did what he wanted...  
It only took him a few moments to find his way to the Reliquary's part of Roxas' database, and not much longer to figure out how to search it. In moments he was looking at a list of Artefacts that also bore the eye that seemed to be the symbol of the Muren Collective.  
There were only five, including the silver cuff. He wasn't interested in what they did, but how they were obtained. After a glance into each, it was clear that there was a pattern. They'd all been found in the course of a search for other artefacts, seemingly left abandoned. Every time they had been encountered, the team had investigated, found that like others it was not merely a trinket, but had it's own powers. Standard procedure was to secure them in a suitcase or similar, so they wouldn't be in contact with anyone for longer than was necessary, in case they had a contact-effect.  
The Collective's artefacts were never taken quietly, however. At every encounter, once they had been secured, a representative of the Collective would appear and attack, naming them thieves. Yet later investigations of each area had found there was no mention or trace of any Muren Collective being there.  
Sora continued to read the notes on each one, and came to the conclusion that it was deliberate. They left the artefacts there to be taken, waited until a team secured them, then attacked. But why? What made it worth the trouble?  
There were more notes, detailing the results of each mission where they were encountered. Most members of each team had to take time off due to injuries sustained in keeping the artefacts, and another team was dispatched to retrieve the artefact that had been the intended target. Several other missions had been taken where an artefact with the Collective's symbol had shown up, but Arcology members appeared to have learned to avoid the Collective after the first five encounters. Only once did anyone attempt to take the artefact, and the report said they'd left it behind to safe their own life.  
It was clear they were using their artefacts as traps, but there seemed to be no motive, no reason behind it. Who was behind the Muren Collective? Who was behind these strange encounters, and what was the reason for it?


	28. Chapter 28

_Grandmaster's Office_

Sora glanced up as not four, but six people entered. Terra and Aqua first, followed by Riku and Kairi, then behind them were Axel and Roxas.  
"Don't tell me," he sighed. "You've got bad news for me."  
"Whatever gave you that idea?" Axel asked mildly. "How would you like to know where Vexen is right now?"  
"Where?"  
"Castle Oblivion, naturally. I've got a complete track of his movements since this morning. He went from Ansem's Mansion into a dark corridor, came out in the Reliquary, wandered around for a bit, then used another dark corridor to go to the Castle, and he's still there."  
"How did you find out?"  
"I attached a tracker tag to him. He has no idea it's there, and it lets me find him wherever he goes. I figure since you're going there, I can make myself useful and keep an eye on him for you. Let you know if he gets too close."  
"Useful. Anything else?"  
"Nope, that's all I came up here to tell you."  
"Thanks. Roxas?"  
"I'm going with you," Roxas told him bluntly.  
"Out of the question. Your arm hasn't healed, and the last time you went there when I was nearby, you fainted because of both me and Ventus."  
"Naminé is there, Sora. That's why Vexen stole the artefact."  
"How did you find out about that?"  
"Simple," he shrugged. "Vexen told me. Not directly though."  
"What do you mean?"  
"Maleficent doesn't know what you've done with Sand or Rue yet, so I borrowed someone who looks like Rue, added a few finishing touches, and told him to act the part. Maleficent firmly believes that my fake Rue is the real thing, and Vexen is working with her. He told her, it was overheard, and passed on to me. My Rue didn't see her get revived, but Vexen did say that he'd already done it."  
"Did he say why?"  
"Not in so many words, but he doesn't need to. Naminé has some skill when it comes to playing around with memories, as I recall. It's probable Vexen will use that to manipulate the Castle into showing what he wants it to."  
"Sounds likely. I'll find her and bring her back with me."  
"You're not going to let me go, are you?"  
"I already told you no. Keep your ears open for more from your fake Rue for me. Axel can keep an eye on Vexen, but Rue would hear things, maybe be even more useful things."  
"Gee, Thanks, Rox." Axel rolled his eyes. "You practically made my tracker pointless."  
"And what if Vexen goes off without them?" Sora asked him. "Doesn't it become more useful then?"  
"I know that."  
"Just making sure."  
"What about us?" Kairi asked.  
"Oh, I thought you four might like to come along while I kick down the door to the Castle to get to Ventus. There's the small matter that no one can find him without Aqua leading the way, and I can't leave Terra behind since I've no doubt he wants to be around when Ventus wakes up."  
"And me and Riku?"  
"Come on, you think I'd leave my friends out of an adventure? Besides," he added. "Mickey's nicked Donald and Goofy back again for a bit. Oh, that reminds me. We've got to watch out while we're there. Rue – the real one – brought me a visitor not long ago, who says he was from a Muren Collective. He pretty much threatened to get in the way if we go there."  
"Another enemy?" Terra asked. "Are you trying to collect them or something?"  
"What do you mean, another enemy?"  
"Oh, let me see... Sephiroth, Sand..."  
"Yeah, alright, I get the idea. I dealt with them though. They're not enemies any more."  
"Be careful, Sora," Aqua warned. "I heard some things about a Muren Collective while I was at the Necropolis. You want to watch out for the ones with the title of Rai."  
"I thought that was his name actually."  
"Who?"  
"The one Rue brought to me, he said he was Rai Kun. What's so special about the ones named Rai?"  
"They're more dangerous than the rest. I don't know how, no one was willing to tell me much about the Collective, but I know they're ones to be wary of. They're not called out for just anything. If you were warned by one, then we'll want to go as soon as possible, before they have a chance to get there. If we can wake up Ven first, then we'll have one more ally to deal with them if we have to."  
Sora nodded, taking out the two artefacts Adam had given him. The golden cuff went onto his left arm this time, the one that hadn't been marked.  
"You're actually using artefacts?" Terra asked with mock surprise. "I thought you didn't want to."  
"I wasn't planning on it, but Adam suggested it. The silver one will prevent us from affecting or being affected by Castle Oblivion, so our memories won't alter it. It only works for me and four with me though."  
"I guess that's another reason I'm staying behind," Roxas said.  
"Stop complaining. I already decided who's coming before I made that announcement."  
"We noticed," he replied. "I still think you're making a mistake leaving me behind though."  
"You're welcome to think that. If you like, we'll even take you along and watch you faint at the door again."  
"You don't have to be so blunt about it."  
"I was making sure you got the point. Anyone have any last minute questions, problems, annoyances or bits of bad news?"  
"If you'll let me borrow your computer a moment, I'll see if there's been any new reports from my Rue."  
"Use your own," Sora told him. "I don't want to lose what I'm reading."  
"I won't disturb what you're doing, Sora."  
"Just leave it alone."  
Roxas sighed, then outstretched his arms, causing a laptop to appear on them. He borrowed a corner of Sora's still unusually clear desk for it.  
"One new item," he reported.  
"What does it say?"  
"I'm getting to that, be patient." Roxas frowned, then muttered, "Why would he do that?"  
"What?"  
"Vexen just joined the Collective. There's something about a suspicion he's been using them since he was revived."  
"Which was before I joined the Arcology, if the real Rue's account is accurate."  
"What did he say about it?"  
"Sand used the same artefact that was stolen earlier to revive Vexen."  
Roxas worked for a few moments more, seeming to navigate the system far more easily than Sora had.  
"It looks about right. The artefact was used about a year before you arrived."  
"Is it just me," Terra frowned. "Or does this seem like an onion?"  
"An onion?"  
"Sure. You peel off the layer to do with the source of your power and find Xehanort behind it."  
"Xemnas," Roxas corrected.  
"Whatever. Then you find that Vexen gathered the Hearts to bring him back, and was working with Sand and Maleficent. Then Sand turned on you, you dealt with him, and now Vexen's revealed to have been working with this Moron Collective."  
"Muren," Aqua corrected him, hiding a snigger.  
"I liked his term better," Axel murmured.  
"Do you mind?" Terra demanded.  
"Not at all," Roxas replied. "Do go on. We know what you're going to say next, but do go on anyway."  
"I'm done anyway. It just seems like layer after layer to me. Why not cut to the chase and get rid of Vexen?"  
"We'll take care of it along the way," Sora shrugged. "Vexen, Ventus, Naminé... did I leave anyone out?"  
"I don't think so."  
"Then why don't we all go to work already?"

_Castle Oblivion  
Floor 1  
Isla Cruces_

Sora paused as they appeared on the sand. It seemed like a desert isle, though it was difficult to tell if the forest to his right was more jungle than forest.  
On his left, out to sea he could make out the familiar shape of the Black Pearl, and right in front of him a longboat from it. Several trails of footsteps led ashore.  
This didn't seem to be any isle he'd ever visited when he'd helped Sparrow, suggesting that whoever's memory this was, it had taken place after Sparrow had regained the Pearl. The presence of the ship here spoke louder than words that the pirate was here.  
This wasn't his memory, but perhaps Jack would remember him still. Sora tapped his chin thoughtfully with the tip of the keyblade, considering this, then set off after the trails.  
They led to a large hole in the sand and a similarly large chest, which had been opened. More trails led further ahead, where he could see Jack busily fending off Will Turner, and a somewhat shabbily dressed person he didn't recognise. Elizabeth Swan stood not much further from them, seemingly berating them for their behaviour.  
She stopped after a bit, sitting on the sand crossly until two others, Sora recognised as having been part of Barbossa's crew, ran past with a second, smaller chest between them. She chased after them instead, leaving the sparring trio oblivious to her departure.  
"I wonder if I should help Jack," Sora mused.  
"Which one's Jack?" Riku asked him. Sora realised that none of the others had ever gone to Port Royale, or met any of these pirates.  
"The one with the red cloth on his head," Sora identified him, quickly filling them in on the identities of the others. Those he knew, at least.  
"Why is Jack fighting Will then?" Kairi wondered.  
"I don't know. I'd ask, but he looks a little busy right now.  
"Sora," Terra called warningly. He was stood by the larger chest, looking out to sea. "We've got company." They joined him quickly, looking toward the beach. A number of... things were coming out of the water toward them. They looked like part-human, part-fish, and had a variety of weapons. "They're headed this way. Probably looking for the chest like the others."  
Sora glanced back. The battle they'd been watching had moved out of sight.  
"We'd better get out of sight. I don't want to get involved in anything here if we don't have to. These aren't our memories."  
"I think we should go after those two who had the chest," Riku suggested. "Elizabeth going after them sort of implies it's got some importance."  
"Right. We'll follow their trails."  
"Why not use your power, Sora?" Aqua said as they hurried after them. "I remember being told you could use it to track people."  
"I don't know if it would work here," he answered. "They're memories of people, not actual people."  
"Only one way to find out."  
It turned out not to work, but the trail was fairly easy to follow into the woodlands. It wasn't long before they caught up with them.  
Elizabeth stood in the path of the other two, then reached for a sword that wasn't there. They looked to each other, dropped the chest and took out their own swords.  
"'ello poppet," one murmured with a grin. Elizabeth started to back away.  
"Someone grab the chest," Sora told them, vaulting over a broken off tree stump. "I'm going to protect her."  
Terra scooped up the chest quickly, as Sora reached them. They all paused briefly, unsure of how to proceed. Then a tree beside them suddenly sprouted an axe.  
"Sora! Those things are back!" Aqua shouted, pointing.  
The two who'd been menacing Elizabeth turned to look, then looked afraid, handed their swords to her, took the chest off Terra and ran.  
"Well don't just stand there, Sora!" she told him. "Help out!"  
It was not so much of a fight as it was a retreat, fending off the creatures as they went along. The chest was dropped and quickly forgotten at one point.  
"Leave it!" Riku said. "There's too many of them."  
"Not for much longer," Sora muttered, starting to throw fire at them.  
"Don't do that!" Kairi told him. "You'll set fire to the forest!"  
"Well, what do you suggest then?"  
"How about catching up with them?" she pointed behind to the retreating backs of the others.  
They ended up back at the longboat, continuing to fight off the creatures. Elizabeth had handed one of the swords back, the other of Barbossa's former crewmen having picked up an oar to use.  
Jack had somehow made his own way back here, greeting him with, "Care to give us a hand, Sora?"  
"What does it look like I'm doing?"  
"Glad to have you with us again, mate," he replied, skewering one of the creatures.  
Their fight paused briefly as a waterwheel rolled out of the forest and down the beach. Everyone stopped to watch it roll past, into the shallows. It slowed, stopped, then ponderously fell over.  
Then everyone went back to the fight. Sora noticed Will get out of the wheel with the shabby person, he now recognised as Commodore Norrington, looking extremely worse for wear.  
Norrington paused at the longboat briefly, doing something there they couldn't see. When the rest of them pulled back to it, he seized the small chest, which had somehow made it's way there.  
"Go now," he told them. "I'll distract them. You get to safety."  
As he ran off with the sea creatures in pursuit, Jack commented, "I say we respect his final wishes. Everyone aboard. Coming with us Sora?"  
"We'll meet you at the Pearl. I've picked up a few new tricks since last time."  
"What are you up to now?" Riku asked in exasperation as Jack rowed them back to the ship.  
"Getting us back," he replied. The five of them lifted up off the ground, then moved by Sora's power to the Pearl. They landed on deck just as Jack was pulled aboard.  
"Thanks for your help, Sora," Jack said as his crew made ready to head back out to open sea.  
"Don't mention it. What was so special about the chest?"  
"It had the heart of Davy Jones in it."  
"Had?"  
Jack tapped a jar of dirt he was carrying meaningfully.  
With a crash of water, a ship surfaced beside the Pearl.  
"Oh bugger," Jack murmured. "That's his ship, in case you're wondering," he said to Sora. "The Flying Dutchman." He let the ship draw alongside, then to all, "I'll handle this." Then he took to the rail, holding up the jar. "I got a jar of dirt," he taunted. "And guess what's inside it."  
Both crews seemed equally bemused by this odd behaviour, and looked just as concerned when Jack fell down the steps onto the main deck.  
"Got it!" he called, holding it up for all to see, followed by himself.  
"Enough!" one of the Dutchman's crew called. Cannon ports were opened, and cannon's pushed out into view.  
"Hard to port?" Jack said in a small voice.  
"Should we still be here?" Terra asked Sora quietly.  
"Oh, quit," Sora told him. "We only have to find the door out from this world to the next grey room to leave."  
"And why aren't we looking?"  
"Jack's a friend. I can't just leave him behind."  
"He's a memory, Sora."  
"So?"  
"The real Jack Sparrow isn't going to know about this."  
Sora watched as the Pearl used her speed to outrun the Dutchman, while trying to avoid fire. Somehow, Sora and his friends seemed to be completely avoided by even those shots that did hit the Pearl.  
"I guess you're right," he finally conceded. "We'll try the door to the captain's cabin."  
"It's not there any more."  
"It doesn't have to be, I don't think. Go find the others, and we'll try it."  
The world blurred around them as they stepped through, into one of the grey rooms of the castle. Sora glanced back momentarily, wondering if he should have stayed to help out.  
"Sora," Aqua called him. "Sora!" she called again louder when he didn't react.  
"What?" he answered irritably.  
"Up ahead."  
"Oh bugger," he echoed Jack's comment when he saw.


	29. Chapter 29

_Castle Oblivion__  
Grey area between floors 1 and 2_

The grey area, normally unadorned, had been given decoration. Some rather functional decoration.  
Seven stone statues depicting warriors stood side by side, four on a front row and three on a row behind, and each holding a sword with it's tip on the ground. Just behind them, through a gap between the warriors Rai Kun could be seen.  
As Sora entered, the statues took up their swords and pointed them instead at him.  
"Oh bugger," Sora murmured, seeing this.  
"We warned you not to come," Kun told him. "Yet you ignored us. Why?"  
"I don't pay attention to threats made of me," Sora answered. "Now it's your turn to answer me. Why are you trying to stop me?"  
"The Grandmaster of the Dark Arcology, regardless of the individual who holds the position, has always been considered the primary enemy of the Collective. We have always and always will opposed the Grandmaster, and we will continue to block your plans at every possible opportunity."  
"Hah. You've got the wrong person then," Sora smirked. "I'm not the Grandmaster of the _Dark_ Arcology. It's Sora's Arcology now."  
"A change of name does not give you immunity to all past offences the Arcology and Grandmasters are responsible for," Kun replied in a colder tone. "You will be held accountable, or your successor, or their successor. We will extract our price from you, willingly or by force."  
"Sora," Terra murmured. "These things are made from rocks. I can shattered them easily. Just give the word."  
"Not yet," Sora muttered. "Let me try something else." Then to Kun he said, "Here's my offer. You call all this off, and it'll be quits. I won't allow anything further done to your Collective, I'll raise the standards on artefacts taken to those that are just too dangerous to leave lying around, and that'll be an end to it. Take it or leave it."  
Kun seemed to consider it, then curiously he cocked his head slightly, as if listening to something only he could hear.  
"Not good enough," he answered finally. "We demand the returning of all artefacts in addition to all you have proposed."  
"Not gonna happen. Not unless you care to offer something in return – something I'll consider worth the work that'd have to be put in."  
"Then your offer is rejected."  
Sora nodded, "I thought you'd say that. Go ahead Terra."  
"I thought you'd never ask," Terra smiled, then started throwing his own earth magic at the statues. Two of them crumbled to dust, one collapsed and fell apart, and a further two were smashed into each other. The remaining two glowed purple then vanished along with Rai Kun, who'd also been glowing.  
"You didn't really expect him to take up your offer did you?" Riku asked him sceptically.  
"Of course not. But I had to try."  
"What for?"  
"Because if I don't, then the Council would complain about it," Sora shrugged.  
"What does it matter? You can overrule them."  
"I know, but I'd rather avoid getting complained at. How far do we have to go, Aqua?"  
"I'm not entirely sure," she answered. "I think I can lead us to the Chamber where I left Ven from the next floor, but I can't be certain until we're there."  
They made to move ahead, but the door to the next floor opened before they got there, and Vexen stepped through. Like Axel, he'd discarded his Organization robe. Unlike Axel, he'd instead chosen to take a normal white lab coat.  
"Sora," he said. "I understand you've been looking for me."  
"I don't think it's worth bothering you with it any more. Not since you went with the Collective."  
"How did you find out about that?"  
Sora stole a favourite line of Jack's, modifying it slightly. "Mate," he said, perfectly matching the tone and inflections to Jack's. "I'm Grandmaster Sora."  
"I know that, but how-"  
"You can't hide anything from me, Vexen. I've got eyes and ears everywhere. Sooner or later, I know everything. Did you want to know what King Mickey had for breakfast this morning?"  
"No. Not particularly. I can see you're not going to be helpful about this."  
"Why would I be? You sided with a long-time opponent of the Arcology."  
"I wasn't aware of that at the time."  
"It doesn't matter. I know you've been working with them for some time. You should have had long enough to figure out something about your new friends before you joined them. After all, you've been working with them for about two years now, haven't you?"  
Vexen seemed slightly startled by this. He was briefly uncertain how to react, then like Kun had early, he seemed to listen for something.  
"I suppose if I asked what you wanted me for, you wouldn't tell me?"  
"Whatever gave you that idea? All I wanted to tell you was that you'll never get your Heart back. The stuff you did that made you a Nobody is permanent. Shame that. All those feelings you'll never get to experience again."  
"I've got a borrowed Heart," he said somewhat uncertainly.  
"For how long? Even now, Roxas and Zexion are working to restore the last of the Heartless, and your borrowed Heart will soon make it's way back to it's proper place. Then what?"  
"You're bluffing. The Heartless are still here in Castle Oblivion."  
"So am I," Sora smirked. "And I have four other Keyblade wielders with me. Keyblades call to the Heartless. You really think they'll ignore the signals of five keyblades? Do you expect us to just ignore them? All I have to do is turn them over to Zexion... and who knows, maybe the first Heartless I send will be the one to take that Heart right back off you."  
Vexen looked even more uncertain, then he also glowed and vanished.  
"Axel, I need you a moment," Sora said to the empty air.  
"What's bothering you, boss?" he asked, appearing nearby.  
"You were listening?"  
"Of course. How could you tell?"  
"I know you too well. Go and find Zexion. Tell him I'm sending him Heartless, and give him whatever help he needs restoring them. I want to part Vexen from his borrowed Heart as soon as possible."  
"Being a little heartless to him aren't we?" he quipped.  
"Be nice," he chided. "Go on. Get moving."  
"Whatever you say, boss."  
"I wish you wouldn't call me that," Sora complained as he left again.  
"You know Sora, you're a bit of a hypocrite," Kairi observed critically. "You hate your job, but you still insist there's no one better to do it."  
"That's because there isn't. Everyone else is either too interested in power, or not trustworthy. Besides, everyone hates their job. It's a widely held belief that you're entitled to complain about it whenever you want."  
"And there's the small matter that people have to kill you to get you out of office," Riku added.  
"Don't remind me. If I have to die to leave, I'd rather just live until I'm too old and go peacefully."  
"You? Old?"  
"Everyone gets there sometime."  
"Sorry, but I just can't see you getting old."  
"Neither can I."  
"Are we going to just stand here all day, or are we actually going to move on?" Aqua asked somewhat testily.  
"Of course m'lady," Sora answered extravagantly. "We'll be ever so careful of your Ladyships pressing needs as we go on."  
"Are you trying to make fun of me?" she accused.  
"And there I was trying to be courteous," he sighed, shaking his head. "Come on then, we'd better move on before she drags us there herself."

_Basement 3_

Vexen appeared in the room they'd set aside to meet in. Rai Kun was already here with the remains of their animated statues.  
Rue was already in discussion with him about exploiting the Arcology's resources again. He seemed reluctant to try to get anything for them after their last failed attack on the place.  
Vexen ignored both of them though, and instead looked to the third occupant of the room. He was taller than Kun, taller even than Vexen himself. He wore purple naturally – it seemed all of the Collective did when they wanted to be identified as a member. There were additions however, he wore armoured boots, with an additional shin-guard strapped to each leg. He wore gauntlets that reached almost to his elbows, and a helmet that hid most of his face behind an intricately designed visor guard.  
Leaning against the wall beside him was a shield emblazoned with the Collective's symbol, and beside that a long-handled axe._  
-He's here,-_ Vexen told him, using the Collective's group mind to talk without speaking aloud._  
-I know,-_ the response came similarly. _-Kun told me already.-  
-Naminé has finished the second floor. He's no doubt there already.-  
-And the third?-  
-I overheard Sora talking with Aqua. It's possible they may not need to go to the third floor. Naminé is still working on it just in case.-  
-Then I'll intercept him while he's still on the second floor. What of the people there?-  
-She said even she couldn't tell if it would work or not. They'll have their own collective mind, but whether you'll be able to connect to it she can't tell.-  
-I'll try it anyway.-  
-What will you do if that fails?-  
-That's what the axe is for, Vexen. Sora can't oppose us if he doesn't have a head.-  
-Charming idea.-  
-I'm glad you liked it. Rai Nek gave me a message for you, by the way.-  
-What kept him from giving it to me directly?-  
-You're still new to the Collective. You haven't quite got the hang of listening to the group mind yet.-  
-Point. What did he have to say?-  
-Don't use your command over darkness. It'll harm the Hearts of everyone in the Collective if you do.-  
-What am I meant to do if I need it?-  
-Listen in on the group mind. Nothing the Collective has ever learned has ever been forgotten. You can learn all kinds of new skills from it. You'll need to get some practical experience though, you can't just pick out a skill and be an instant expert.-  
-Useful. Why didn't anyone tell me this before?-  
-Because you were expected to listen to the group mind anyway. I'm going to go see to our unwanted guests.-_  
He picked up his shield and axe, then vanished, leaving Vexen with Kun and Rue._  
-Keep an eye on Rue,- _Kun told him. _-Something doesn't seem quite right about him-  
-Why can't you do it?-  
-I'm off to go stop another artefact being taken,- _Kun replied, then he too vanished.  
"Why do the leave little things to me?" Vexen muttered under his breath._  
-Because you never have anything better to do-_ a chorus of voices told him from the group mind._  
-I wasn't asking you,-_ he answered.


	30. Chapter 30

_Castle Oblivion__  
Second Floor__  
Unknown_

It resembled Traverse Town, but there were differences. There were more people wandering around, and there was absolutely no talking. Not a single person said a word.  
It was eerie, walking through the crowds, not hearing a word, seeing them part ways around them without even thinking about it. Everyone seemed to know exactly where everyone else was.  
Without any apparent warning, the crowds suddenly all turned tail and fled from one building. No one went near it.  
It was a theatre, but there was no sign up showing what was being played, nor any signs advertising other shows.  
Inside was silent. There was no one around here.  
Sora lead them into the main theatre. The seating was almost universally unoccupied. Those that remained were still, as if unconscious.  
On the stage, three people had collapsed, and two more hung limply by ropes around their middles.  
Sora headed down to the stage, while Kairi and Aqua moved through the remaining audience.  
"They're all dead," Aqua reported, rejoining them at the base of the stage. "No apparent cause. No injuries, no sign of poisons, nothing."  
"People don't die of nothing," Riku murmured.  
"They did," she pointed out.  
"No," Sora said. "There's a cause. It just isn't apparent yet. Get them down," he pointed up at the hanging actors. "Safely, if you would. Just in case they're not dead."  
Terra and Riku tried to make sense of the snarls of ropes to lower the two down, while Sora checked the remaining three with Kairi and Aqua. They too seemed to have no cause of death, though several had bruises caused by their falls.  
There was a clank and a startled exclamation from Riku, then one of the two hanging bodies dropped almost all the way down. Riku seemed to get control back, and lowered it the rest of the way.  
Aqua checked the body, then shook her head. "Only difference is a mark from the rope," she murmured.  
The second body was lowered. Kairi confirmed it was in the same condition.  
"You're taking this well," Aqua murmured to her while Sora thought.  
"What do you mean?"  
"Being around dead bodies like this. Most people would freak out."  
"It's just a memory, Aqua. It's not real."  
"It's a memory of something that did happen though," Aqua pointed out. "And it can adapt and affect us too."  
"I was doing fine until you told me that."  
"It'll keep you aware. We don't want you to become a part of this."  
"Sora's here. I trust him to keep me... us safe."  
"He's got a lot on his mind though."  
"He'll manage just..." she trailed off, looking around curiously.  
"What is it?"  
"Sora!" Kairi called, quickly getting to her feet. "Heartless – coming fast!"  
Sora muttered something under his breath, then called up to Riku and Terra on the gantries above. "You heard that?"  
"Of course we did," Terra called back. "We're not deaf!"  
"I'm so happy for you. Get back down here now!"  
Riku took hold of a rope, sliding most of the way down, then dropped to the floor.  
"Show off," Terra muttered.

_-Control over the Heartless has been lost,- _one voice reported. _-It is no longer safe for us here-  
-Agreed.-_ the overmind concurred. _-Kun will rejoin our other operative at the Castle.-  
-Has Kun intercepted the artefact?-  
-I was unsuccessful,-_ Kun's voice reported._ -I was unable to reach it before the Arcology claimed it. What is my task in the Castle to be?-  
-Create the illusions. Maleficent and Pete have betrayed us and departed. We cannot allow our allies to know we have lost them.-  
-To what end?-  
-Sora will believe the Heartless were commanded to attack him by her. We can use the illusions of our lost allies to reinforce this belief.-  
-What of the other Rai here?-  
-He has his own task. Monitor him. If he should succeed in his task, drop the illusions of our allies, and create one of Sora. We will replace him with the image of him, and take control of the Arcology.-  
-And if he should fail?-  
-Me? Fail?- _the other Rai's voice sounded. _-Get real, Kun. I wasn't called out for no reason at all you know.-_

The Heartless attack lasted for some time, but in the end the five of them won out. Zexion would be overworked with this many of them for him to work on.  
Puffing slightly from the exertion, they regrouped back on the stage.  
"What now?" Riku asked.  
"Aqua?" Sora turned to her.  
"Nothing new yet. It's hard to focus when under attack though."  
"Then we look for clues to what happened here until you know. People don't just die from nothing, memories or not."  
"We should split up," Terra suggested. We'll cover more ground that way."  
"No," Kairi disagreed. "If we split up, we'll have to look for each other when Aqua finds the way out, and we'll be more vulnerable."  
"I'm with Terra," Aqua agreed, "but I don't think any of us should go alone."  
Riku shook his head, "We know the Collective is here. We can fend off Heartless if we're apart, but we don't know what they can throw at us."  
There was a brief moment of silence, then they all turned to Sora, who sighed, "Why me?"  
"You really want an answer to that Sora?" Kairi asked.  
"No... I already know. Riku makes a good point. We stick together. Someone else can decide where to next."  
A search of the theatre had turned up nothing, and with the arrival of several people who appeared to be in authority, they'd quickly and quietly made their way back out into the city proper.  
Unfortunately for them, the theatre and surrounding area had been blockaded by the police – or whatever they had here – so their presence within it was deemed suspicious. They still didn't say a word however, even when guiding them into the large hall of a commandeered building. Oddly, there didn't seem to be any point to this hall. There were no other exits, no stairs, no ornaments, nothing except the carpet with it's wide collection of designs. In the centre of it, there was an eye, accented in purple. After a few moments of silence, they were left in there with guards posted on the door.  
"Should we try to break out?" Riku murmured. "There's only two of them."  
"No," Sora answered. "Let's wait. We don't know what's going on yet, and I want to find out why none of them seem to be able to talk."  
One of the guards at the door glanced at his companion, then seemed to listen for a moment. Moments later, someone else joined them.  
He was taller than all of them, and wore the signature purple of the Collective. His shirt didn't bear the eye emblem; that was instead on the shield he bore on one arm. His other arm carried an axe in a gauntleted fist. The stranger wore armoured boots, shin-guards and a helmet that covered all but around his mouth.  
With a casual glance he dismissed the guards and barred the entry.  
"I am Rai Lon, of the Muren Collective," he announced aloud. "I am the Guardian of the Collective, and I am it's weapon. You will go no further, Grandmaster. It is my task to end you."  
"I don't advocate murder," Sora told him. "I don't like it, and I don't see it as a solution to any problem. Why don't you share that point of view?"  
"The Collective does share the same viewpoint as you. However, you are deemed to great a threat to ignore. You have repeatedly rejected our demands. You came here against our warnings and destroyed a number of warrior statues."  
"I didn't come here because of you, and I wouldn't have had them destroyed if your Rai Kun hadn't been threatening me with them."  
"You were not being threatened with them. They were being used in an attempt to deter you."  
"You can't stop me that easily."  
"That much has become clear to us. You are also deemed a threat because you plan to awaken the Dreamer and the Dark Dreamer."  
Sora blinked. "I guess the Dreamer could mean Ventus," he mused, then to Aqua, "But who could the Dark Dreamer be?"  
"I guess he must mean Vanitas."  
"Who?"  
"Ven's dark side... but I thought he was destroyed..."  
"The Dark Dreamer cannot simply be destroyed for so long as there remains darkness in the Heart of the Dreamer," Lon told them. "Even you still have darkness in your Heart, enough that you can call upon it when needed. The form of Anti-Sora, you call it."  
"I'd almost forgotten," Sora murmured.  
"I haven't," Kairi said. "I brought you back from it when you were a Heartless, remember?"  
"Yeah, thanks Kairi. But that changes nothing. I keep it under control; it doesn't control me. Ventus can do the same, and he can learn from me if he really needs to."  
"We cannot allow you to awaken him. If the Dark Dreamer were to return, those who are unversed in their own existance would return also. We are not willing to allow you to take that risk."  
"We fought them before," Terra told Lon. "We'll do it again."  
"Hold on a moment, Terra. I'll grant the Unversed weren't the nicest opponents, but just why do you consider it a risk?" Aqua asked curiously.  
"The city we are in once existed, though the events never transpired within it. We lived here in peace, and welcomed newcomers into our Collective. When the Dark Dreamer came into existance, those created with him attacked. We were a peaceful people, and most of us were not versed or ready for war. Only those who actively opposed the Dark Arcology, and stood against it's theft of artefacts could have aided, but they were all away attempting to prevent those artefacts being taken and thus unable to reach us in time.  
"The city was destroyed in our hasty attempts to defend ourselves, and much of the Collective was lost. We fought for a long time, from the creation of those who are unversed, until the moment the Dreamer was laid to rest here. Only with the banishment of the Dark Dreamer did we win reprieve, but at great cost. We will not allow it to happen again."  
"There's no evidence that waking up Ventus will also bring back Vanitas," Aqua told him. "And even if he does, we can deal with him again if we have to."  
"But there is evidence to suggest that if the Dark Dreamer does return, those who are unversed will also return. The Collective does not want to suffer another crushing attack by them."  
"Then we'll take steps to deal with it, just like we do the Heartless," Sora said. "I'll even offer my support in protecting your Collective if that's what it takes."  
"Your offers are not welcome. We do not want assistance from the same Arcology that continues to claim artefacts that do not rightfully belong to them."  
"I'm going to wake him up whether you like it or not," Sora told him bluntly, "And there's nothing you can do about it."  
"And that is why it is my task to bring about your end. That of yours and any who attempt to stop me."  
"There are five of us, and only one of you. What makes you think you have a chance?"  
"I was present during the original attack on the Collective's home city. I fought every day until I had no strength left, and have kept in practice ever since. The Collective provided anything I needed to know to continue my training. There is no better warrior in the Collective, no better member that could face you."


	31. Chapter 31

_Chamber of Waking_

Jamie propped a shard of mirror against the back of the throne, created a fresh bowl of water, and sat down to shave. It'd been some time since he first decided to take up residence, and along the way he'd found he started to need it once in a while. He'd tried letting it grow, but quickly discovered he couldn't stand the itch.  
As he worked his way methodically along his jaw, sounds of fighting erupted from nearby. They were faint, dulled out by the walls of the Chamber, but very close.  
He paid them no attention, finishing his shave, then quietly ensuring he wasn't going to cause a stink. Literally.  
The fighting dulled down, then died out entirely.  
Jamie still paid no attention, clearing up the mute evidence of his being here. A last check to ensure the Chamber was pristine and that Ventus was still sat on the throne. He wasn't going anywhere, of course.  
A small bruise had appeared on one elbow, and he seemed troubled, not quite tossing as a dreamer does, but fidgeting around, looking uncomfortable. A light touch to the elbow cleared the bruising, then another to the head and Ventus settled again.  
He knew what was going to happen. He'd been planning for it ever since he learned of it.  
Several minutes were spent preparing himself. Some slight warming up of the muscles he'd need shortly. No sense in pulling anything.  
Satisfied, he eventually picked up his signature spear, dusting it off slightly, moved to the door, and set himself.  
Jamie had long since devised a way to see outside the Chamber without actually leaving, and directed it to just outside, seeing the scene.  
There was a great hall, and inside was Sora. Terra and Aqua with him as were Kairi and Aqua.  
There was the ring of metal on metal. Jamie adjusted his view just slightly, and saw Rai Lon swinging his axe. Having spent some time studying weapons under Swordsman, he could identify it with certainty. It was a lochaber axe, originally designed for use on heavy-armoured opponents. The long handle kept it's wielder out of range of most attacks. Because of it's use, it had at once time been given the nickname of 'can opener', referring of course to the armour as the can.  
Sora appeared to be fighting alone, and didn't seem inclined to draw on anything except himself and his keyblade. Terra moved to help at one point, but Sora snapped, "No! I said stay back!"  
The two circled the room. Lon took every chance offered, every opportunity, playing every risk. Sora dodged, ducked and rolled clear, blocking where he couldn't get clear and striking back where he could. Lon's armour deflected such strikes easily.  
Sora continued to be driven back, but always avoided being cornered as much as possible. One misstep saw that fall, backing him into the corner by the door.  
Jamie readied his grip on the spear.  
The keyblade was knocked from Sora's hand, and the axe raised.  
"And so perish all enemies of the Collective," Lon announced in a peculiarly choral voice.  
Jamie jerked the door open sharply, springing out and ignoring the surprised cries from the others. He made a swift jab into the unprotected back, just below the armour on one side, then another on the opposite side. Neither were intended to be fatal, but neither could they simply be ignored.  
Lon stiffened, then swiftly turned to strike at him instead as the spear was drawn free.  
Sora took the chance, seized his keyblade and struck down hard on Lon's head. Jamie saw the eyes glaze over as the giant axe of the Collective fell to the floor with a loud clatter.  
"Grandmaster," Jamie greeted him. His voice was slightly deeper than it had been last time they'd met. "I hope you'll forgive my unannounced assistance. I thought you could use it."  
Sora looked at him curiously, not entirely sure if he recognised what he saw. Jamie simply showed his markings.  
"What happened to you?"  
"I was waiting for you," he shrugged. He pointed to the still open door, "In there, actually. Isn't that where you wanted to go?"  
Sora looked to Aqua, who glanced in, then nodded.  
"How did you get in there?"  
"I used Timeless River to be present when Aqua changed the Land of Departure into Castle Oblivion."  
"You waited in there for ten years," Aqua asked sceptically.  
"Has it been that long?" he answered, feigning obliviousness. "How the time flies. Why don't you go wake him up, and then Sora can retrieve Naminé from the top of the Castle. Vexen's there, incidentally."  
"How did you know?"  
"I've been keeping an eye on everyone who came into the Castle since I got here," Jamie shrugged. "Most of them weren't even aware of it. A few might have had the feeling they were being watched, but nothing more."  
"So you saw everything?" Riku asked, looking a little uncomfortable.  
"Yes. Including both Sora's and your own trials in here, all of the Organization's plans made here, the treachery in their ranks, and even the pods containing Sora, Donald and Goofy while Naminé restored their memories. Well, until they were moved to Twilight Town, where Roxas came to rejoin him. I kept detailed notes of it all so I could add it to Roxas' database."  
"That was the whole reason you came here?" Sora asked then.  
"Pretty much. That, and ever since the Collective stopped by, I was able to see into their plans undetected. That's how I stopped Lon from killing you."

His arms felt heavy. So did everything else, but the arms seemed especially heavy for some reason.  
There was an ache on one arm. It felt as if someone had broken it, and it had almost fully healed.  
There was another on his head, but far fainter.  
Faintly, he heard someone murmur, "I'll be back shortly."  
"You're going after Vexen and Naminé?" another voice answered. It was familiar, he knew it.  
"I won't be long. You two stay with them," the first said.  
"But Sora, Naminé is my Nobody," a third voice protested. "You can't expect to leave me behind."  
"You'll get to see her with everyone else, Kairi. Roxas will want to see her too remember."  
"Well... yeah... but..."  
"I've got an idea," yet another voice said. "Why don't you take Kairi and Riku to go after them. Let them have their time to catch up together."  
"Why?" the person identified as Sora asked.  
"Because Ven doesn't know any of you."  
"He doesn't know you either."  
"No. But unless you want to go tracking through the Castle again, you'll need me here to get back."  
"He makes a good point Sora," a second familiar voice said. "You go ahead."  
There were a few silent moments, then a sucking sound.  
"He's coming to," the first familiar voice said. Was it... Aqua? And the other... Terra? He knew these people...  
Ventus brought himself the rest of the way out of his long sleep with a great yawn, then looked up into the familiar faces of his friends.  
"Hey guys. What am I doing here?"  
"You don't remember?" Aqua asked.  
"Remember what?"  
"What you saw while your Heart was with Sora," Terra explained.  
He thought for a few moments, then like a floodgate raised, the memories flooded back to him.  
"Oh. That's why I'm here."  
He glanced to one side, seeing a stranger leaning on a tall green spear watching impassively.  
"Ven," he nodded once to him.  
"I don't know you." Then a memory came to him and he amended, "No. I do know you, but I never met you. You're Jamie, aren't you?"  
"That's me. Don't mind me though. I'm not here for any important reason."  
"Except saving Sora and showing us the way to the Chamber," Aqua threw at him over one shoulder.  
"Well, except that," he conceded.  
There was another sucking sound, and four more people appeared out of what seemed to be a white portal. One was muttering irritably under his breath, making accompanying gestures. A few more moments thinking on the memories, and he knew who three of them were.  
"I did tell you not to follow him over that bridge," Riku told Sora.  
"Oh shut up."  
"You heard me warn him, didn't you Kairi?"  
Kairi tried not to laugh, and the fourth, another girl beside her who looked very similar, did the same.  
"Will you cut that out?" Sora asked acidly.  
"Be nice," the second girl... Naminé he realised after a few moments, chided him. Sora threw his hands in the air with, "Why me?" then stalked off, muttering again. Kairi and Naminé shared a look, then continued to laugh at him.  
"What happened?" Jamie asked Riku.  
"He chased after Vexen and got caught out. The bridge was a trap, and he fell for it, then just fell in general. By the time he got back on solid ground, Vexen had vanished. We did try to warn him, but he didn't listen."  
"Do you mind?" Sora interrupted his mutterings to snap.  
"Not at all," Riku grinned back.  
"Are you three just about done?" Sora asked then.  
"I don't know," Aqua answered, then turned back to Ventus. "Feeling up to coming along with us?"  
"Don't you think you ought to put the Castle back again?" he replied.  
"I don't think it can be," Aqua confessed. "I'll look into it later. It's not exactly important."  
Terra turned to Sora. "Do you suppose we might impose on you Sora? Only we seem to be in need of somewhere to live for a bit..."  
"I'll arrange something," he answered. "When we get back though."

_The World that Never Was  
Where Nothing Gathers_

The thrones remained unoccupied. Instead the gathering was taking place at their bases.  
Sora and Roxas were waiting for others to arrive. Kairi and Naminé had come with them.  
Axel was first to join them, bringing Riku and Zexion with him. Rue followed, with Ventus, Aqua and Terra in tow.  
"You see," Axel nudged Zexion. "I told you he wouldn't do it."  
Sora looked curiously at them.  
"Zexion thought you'd use the thrones," Axel explained. "I insisted you wouldn't."  
He glanced up at them, then back at Axel. "Maybe another time," he answered quietly. Then he straightened up and slightly louder said, "We've got a few things to discuss. Since Zexion so kindly agreed to give us this place, I thought we'd gather here instead of using my office for a change."  
"I dunno, Sora," Riku said, looking around. "I think I prefer your office. There's more colour to it."  
"Oh, never mind that. Why don't you all bring me up to date?"  
There was a few moments of silence as they looked to each other, then Zexion spoke up first.  
"We have the last of the Heartless in containment. We'll never be able to get rid of the pureblood Heartless, but the Emblem ones are all but gone. I'm working with Axel on a system that if it works, will protect areas from Shadow Heartless."  
"Early experiments are promising," Axel took up the thread, "But it's hard to be certain. Pureblood Heartless are unpredictable. On a slightly related note, Roxas and I have been looking into how he grew a Heart of his own, and we think Zexion and I are starting to follow his lead."  
"How long until you have Hearts again?" Sora asked.  
"Hard to say," Roxas replied. "Mine's been growing for some time, so it's further along. I don't know when it started to grow though. I know when theirs started, but so far they haven't grown enough to any point we already know about."  
"Guess?"  
"A month, probably more. They'll be complete beings again by then. Ienzo and Lea again."  
"Oh, I don't know about that," Axel scoffed. "I might decide to keep my name. What about you, Zexion?"  
"I haven't decided yet," he murmured.  
"What else?"  
There were a few more moments, then Ventus said, "There's no Unversed around, and no sign of Vanitas either. The Collective's worries were for nothing."  
"How about you?"  
"I'm fine, thanks to you keeping my Heart safe for as long as you did. More than I can say to Roxas though."  
Roxas looked surprised, "Me? What did I do?"  
"Every time you got injured, some of it carried over to me. When you broke your arm, I got hurt too."  
"I had no idea it was happening," he protested. "You can't blame me for it."  
"I never said I did." Ven turned back to Sora and continued, "We're at a bit of a loss for something to do without Unversed or your Heartless to take on, Sora. We're not entirely interested in becoming a part of your Arcology – not yet, at least – but if you don't mind, we're willing to help out."  
"You're welcome to," Sora answered. "All of you. That goes for you too Zexion.

_Sora's Arcology  
Floor 200  
Grandmaster's private gardens_

"I didn't know all this was here," Kairi breathed.  
"Neither did I until I took the position," Sora murmured. "I had to work on them a little. Sephiroth had some strange ideas about what he left in some of the rooms."  
"Why show it to me Sora? It's not like you to show off like this."  
"I thought you might like to come live with me here," he answered. He hid his nerves by making it sound offhand.  
"Me? Here?" Kairi seemed startled.  
"You would get to keep an eye on me," he went on. "And you wouldn't have to wait for me any more. It's about time I settled down, I think. You heard what the others said earlier. There's nothing happening to distract my attention from the more important things."  
"Like your work?" she teased.  
"Like you," he corrected her gently.

* * *

**A/N: **Is this story over? This part of it is. Stay tuned though, because the tale from here will be in the form of a new story. We've gone from Master of the Dark, to the Source, and next we go into the Collective In the Dark.  
Hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it - if the reveiws are any indication, you probably have, and some of you will no doubt be waiting to see what happens next.

If you missed the preview of The Collective in the Dark that used to be right after this chapter... well, 'fraid you lost out on seeing it. But fear not, because along with many little changes and additions I made to it, they make up the first and second chapters of that story, which will be available shortly.  
If you did get to read the preview, don't skip those chapters - you'll miss out on the new changes I just mentioned.


End file.
